The Stig
06-17-2011, 01:17 PM
Original story at myfoxny.com (http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/hotels-warned-of-terror-potential-terror-threats-ncx-20110617)
Hotels Warned Of Terror, Potential Terror Threats
Updated: Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 8:05 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 5:45 AM EDT
BY NEWSCORE
WASHINGTON - Authorities are warning hotels in major US cities to be vigilant after intelligence recently obtained in Somalia shows al Qaeda was planning to launch a Mumbai-style attack on an upscale hotel in London, FOX News Channel reported late Thursday.
The intelligence emerged from computer accessories and other materials gathered at the checkpoint in Mogadishu where Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa, was killed Saturday, according to sources.
The warning came as US intelligence officials confirmed they had translated some 95 percent of materials obtained from Osama bin Laden's residence in Pakistan where he was killed by US Navy Seals last month.
Al Qaeda, now headed by Egyptian-born surgeon Ayman al Zawahiri, was working on what one senior US intelligence official described as an "aspirational" -- but possibly operational -- plot to target the Ritz Carlton hotel in London. As part of the plot, operatives would stay in strategically chosen rooms on the first floor of the hotel, then they would set their rooms ablaze in hopes of trapping guests on the floors above.
In November 2008, 10 gunmen launched a "commando-style" raid on hotels and cafes in Mumbai, India. The attack spanned three days, killing 174 people and wounding more than 300 others.
On Thursday, the FBI met with hotel-industry leaders in New York City to brief them on the latest intelligence from Somalia. A similar briefing is set for Friday in Washington, D.C., and other such briefings are expected in other US cities.
In a separate development, FOXNews.com reported Thursday that an al Qaeda-linked website has compiled a "hit list" of American executives, officials and companies with connections to the Iraq war.
Security analysts believe the list reflects a shift in terror strategy -- away from top-down, mass-casualty events to smaller-scale attacks carried out by lone-wolf jihadists -- while the Department of Homeland Security said it is monitoring the situation.
Told of the London hotel threat, counterterrorism experts were skeptical that al Qaeda could successfully launch such an attack. One called it a "terrorist's pipedream."
The expert, who spoke to FOX News only on the condition of anonymity, said the likelihood of such a plan working was "nil to none" because systems inside modern hotels would stop the spread of fire, and the response and expertise of fire departments in a city like London would also help thwart the threat.
An email seeking comment from authorities in London was not immediately returned.
Meanwhile, documents from bin Laden's compound in Pakistan revealed "aspirational" writings by the late al Qaeda leader who urged affiliates not to focus their attacks locally but to stay patient and carry out large-scale attacks that would strike at the American psyche.
The materials indicated that, almost a decade after the September 11 attacks, bin Laden remained obsessed with the airline industry as well as public transport. He also wanted key US leaders assassinated.
While the writings did not go into details about ongoing operations, there were indications that bin Laden was closely involved in choosing local al Qaeda branch leaders, and was particular about them having the right religious credentials.
A source who read some of the material told FOX News Channel that bin Laden ran the terror network like a corporation.
"We don't think Zawahiri has [the] same skill set negotiating, keeping affiliate[s] together," the source said.
Zawahiri was appointed bin Laden's successor Thursday as al Qaeda vowed to continued its "jihad" against the US and Israel. The widely-predicted appointment of the 59-year-old was largely overshadowed by news earlier in the week of Mohammed's killing.
Mohammed, born in the Comoros Islands, had been one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorists. He was indicted in New York for allegedly masterminding the 1998 bombings at US Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed a total of 224, including 12 Americans. The US government had been offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
"He is very good with computers," the FBI said of Mohammed. The latest intelligence was believed to have been found on a thumb drive at the scene of his death.
US authorities have become increasingly concerned about threats posed by al Qaeda and other extremists inside Somalia. The country has been engulfed in a bloody civil war ever since dictator Siad Barre was ousted from power in 1991. Some worry it could become another safe haven for al Qaeda, as extremist groups, particularly Somalia-based al Shabab, gain ground there.
Hotels Warned Of Terror, Potential Terror Threats
Updated: Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 8:05 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 17 Jun 2011, 5:45 AM EDT
BY NEWSCORE
WASHINGTON - Authorities are warning hotels in major US cities to be vigilant after intelligence recently obtained in Somalia shows al Qaeda was planning to launch a Mumbai-style attack on an upscale hotel in London, FOX News Channel reported late Thursday.
The intelligence emerged from computer accessories and other materials gathered at the checkpoint in Mogadishu where Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa, was killed Saturday, according to sources.
The warning came as US intelligence officials confirmed they had translated some 95 percent of materials obtained from Osama bin Laden's residence in Pakistan where he was killed by US Navy Seals last month.
Al Qaeda, now headed by Egyptian-born surgeon Ayman al Zawahiri, was working on what one senior US intelligence official described as an "aspirational" -- but possibly operational -- plot to target the Ritz Carlton hotel in London. As part of the plot, operatives would stay in strategically chosen rooms on the first floor of the hotel, then they would set their rooms ablaze in hopes of trapping guests on the floors above.
In November 2008, 10 gunmen launched a "commando-style" raid on hotels and cafes in Mumbai, India. The attack spanned three days, killing 174 people and wounding more than 300 others.
On Thursday, the FBI met with hotel-industry leaders in New York City to brief them on the latest intelligence from Somalia. A similar briefing is set for Friday in Washington, D.C., and other such briefings are expected in other US cities.
In a separate development, FOXNews.com reported Thursday that an al Qaeda-linked website has compiled a "hit list" of American executives, officials and companies with connections to the Iraq war.
Security analysts believe the list reflects a shift in terror strategy -- away from top-down, mass-casualty events to smaller-scale attacks carried out by lone-wolf jihadists -- while the Department of Homeland Security said it is monitoring the situation.
Told of the London hotel threat, counterterrorism experts were skeptical that al Qaeda could successfully launch such an attack. One called it a "terrorist's pipedream."
The expert, who spoke to FOX News only on the condition of anonymity, said the likelihood of such a plan working was "nil to none" because systems inside modern hotels would stop the spread of fire, and the response and expertise of fire departments in a city like London would also help thwart the threat.
An email seeking comment from authorities in London was not immediately returned.
Meanwhile, documents from bin Laden's compound in Pakistan revealed "aspirational" writings by the late al Qaeda leader who urged affiliates not to focus their attacks locally but to stay patient and carry out large-scale attacks that would strike at the American psyche.
The materials indicated that, almost a decade after the September 11 attacks, bin Laden remained obsessed with the airline industry as well as public transport. He also wanted key US leaders assassinated.
While the writings did not go into details about ongoing operations, there were indications that bin Laden was closely involved in choosing local al Qaeda branch leaders, and was particular about them having the right religious credentials.
A source who read some of the material told FOX News Channel that bin Laden ran the terror network like a corporation.
"We don't think Zawahiri has [the] same skill set negotiating, keeping affiliate[s] together," the source said.
Zawahiri was appointed bin Laden's successor Thursday as al Qaeda vowed to continued its "jihad" against the US and Israel. The widely-predicted appointment of the 59-year-old was largely overshadowed by news earlier in the week of Mohammed's killing.
Mohammed, born in the Comoros Islands, had been one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorists. He was indicted in New York for allegedly masterminding the 1998 bombings at US Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, which killed a total of 224, including 12 Americans. The US government had been offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
"He is very good with computers," the FBI said of Mohammed. The latest intelligence was believed to have been found on a thumb drive at the scene of his death.
US authorities have become increasingly concerned about threats posed by al Qaeda and other extremists inside Somalia. The country has been engulfed in a bloody civil war ever since dictator Siad Barre was ousted from power in 1991. Some worry it could become another safe haven for al Qaeda, as extremist groups, particularly Somalia-based al Shabab, gain ground there.