Storm Warning

Weekly Column - Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2003

"Storm Warning"
by J. R. Nyquist

Newsweek magazine is reporting that Osama bin Laden held a terror summit in Afghanistan. It is alleged that the purpose of this summit was to outline a plan of biological attack against the United States. “Osama’s next step will be unbelievable,” said Newsweek’s Taliban source.

Osama’s terrorists met in a secret Afghan base high in the mountains. Attendees included representatives of the Taliban, senior al Qaeda organizers and delegates from Islamist organizations operating in the “former” Soviet Union (Uzbekistan and Chechnya). Despite setbacks, bin Laden’s organization hopes to bring America to its knees. “His priority is to use biological weapons,” said another Newsweek source. But how can a significant attack be launched? Is such a threat credible, or is it mere chest-pounding from the disconnected leader of a scattered and broken organization?

Gordon Thomas, the author of Gideon’s Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad, says that “Israel is secretly mobilizing its sleeper agents in the United States in the run-up to the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.” Thomas claims that over the past month approximately 15,000 Israeli agents have been activated in the United States, being briefed by former Mossad operations director Raphael Eitan. According to Thomas, the Israeli mobilization is meant to protect synagogues, religious schools and Jewish businesses in the event of a major terrorist assault on the United States.

At the same time, the FBI sees no signs of impending attack and FBI officials have not taken Israeli warnings to heart. This attitude is said to anger the Israelis who insist that a terrorist operation is about to be executed by al Qaeda cells based in Canada. Since the U.S. will not act to defend itself, Israel has decided on its own U.S. mobilization to “protect its massive multiple interests in the United States,” according to Thomas.

The Newsweek story and the Gordon Thomas story may refer to something real and terrible that lies in our immediate future. Late last year I discussed America’s security situation with a former intelligence officer and security expert who consults with governments on security issues. He told me, “America is open to a massive terrorist assault.” The vulnerability of the American infrastructure should be evident, even to the non-expert. The mysterious power blackout that shut down the Northeast a few weeks ago demonstrates how easy it would be to land a crippling blow. It is also worrisome that the blackout took place on a Thursday because a mysterious power outage also hit London on a Thursday. As it happens, September 11 is Thursday of next week.

Again and again we have been treated to terror alerts. We have heard many dire predictions and many warnings. But no major terrorist attacks on America have followed. Either terrorist plans have been foiled or terrorist declarations have been hot air. But the present situation offers tangible signs that something cold and calculated may be in the offing. We have already touched on recent power outages in the U.S. and U.K. Cyber -terrorism has also made headlines. Last week I reformatted my hard drive because of the W32.sobig.f worm. Before that came the Blaster Worm. Many a visitor to cyber-space has searched the Web for patches and anti-virus updates. All is not well on the Web. In a Sept. 1 story, published by the Orlando Sentinel, Chris Cobbs offers the following headline: “Fears grow that cyberattack may strike America.”

We have heard, again and again, that cyber-terrorists might disrupt transportation networks, banks and other critical systems. If a successful attack on the country’s computer infrastructure were combined with bombings, power outages and the release of deadly biological organisms, the resulting mayhem and subsequent collapse of economic confidence would be significant.

The leaders of al Qaeda are educated men. They use the Internet, and they know about America’s power grid. A biological attack, even if it only killed a few thousand people, could flood the country’s emergency rooms with panicked citizens. Emergency rooms across the country are already deluged with persons in need of treatment. Add to this the weight of drug addicts, alcoholics, and illegal immigrants who cannot be turned away. Here is another dimension of vulnerability that has yet to be addressed by the Department of Homeland Security.

I recently spoke with a hospital official about existing plans to deal with a biological attack. He shook his head. He didn’t see how the system could cope. America’s hospitals simply don’t have enough beds or enough nurses.

Are warnings of a biological attack mere fantasy? In today’s conflict, the biological dimension is very real. Biological weapons have been manufactured in many countries. It is only a matter of time before a terrorist organization acquires and uses biological weapons. A significant biological attack could put the country’s health system in an untenable position. It would be up to thousands of retired nurses and medical workers to volunteer their services in the event of a medical crisis. This may be a successful approach, but consider the economic fallout. The terrorist objective, from the outset, has been to cripple the U.S. economy and sabotage our way of life. Whether you believe the recession is over or not, it has to be admitted that our financial system and its debt structure is a house of cards. The least shock could send us spiraling toward crisis.

During his terror summit in Afghanistan, bin Laden not only spoke of biological attack. He mentioned other avenues of attack as well. If Newsweek’s report is accurate, if Gordon Thomas’s report on the Mossad’s mobilization in America is true, then a major terrorist operation has been planned. The capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed no doubt interrupted bin Laden’s plan. Yet the plan will be pushed forward, inevitably.

Newsweek’s sources say that bin Laden is healthy and active. He sends messages by courier. He avoids using phones or other traceable communications devices. You would think that America’s intelligence satellites could pinpoint his mountain hideout. But they have failed to do so.

It has almost been two years since the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. We have not destroyed al Qaeda and we have not killed bin Laden. The war on terror continues. The danger remains.

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