Al-Qaeda Cell Loose in the U.S.?
...intelligence gleaned from last month's British "doctors plot" of car bombers suggests that an al Qaeda cell is on the loose in the American homeland.
E-mail addresses for American individuals were found on the same password-protected e-mail chains used by the United Kingdom plotters to communicate with Qaeda handlers in Europe, a counterterrorism official told The New York Sun yesterday. The American and German intelligence community now believe the secure e-mail chains used in the United Kingdom plot have provided a window into an operational Qaeda network in several countries.
"Because of the London and Glasgow plot, we now know communications have been made from Al Qaeda to operatives in the United States," the counterterrorism official said on condition of anonymity. "This plot helps to connect a lot of stuff. We have seen money moving a lot through hawala networks and other illicit finance as well." But this source was careful to say that at this point no specific information, such as names, targets or a timeline, was known about any particular plot on American soil. The e-mail addresses that are linked to Americans were pseudonyms.
Eli's report is highly credible--and troubling--for two reasons: 1) It comes on the heels of several recent Al-Qaeda tapes, including one released yesterday by American al-Qaeda Adam Gadahn threatening new attacks. 2) The recent National Intelligence Estimate found that future attacks on U.S. soil are likely inevitable. Combine this with our porous borders and al-Qaeda's safe haven in northwest Pakistan, and you have some ominous possibilities.