Terrorist using the Mexican border tunnels to attack AZ.

[Darius11 12]

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Fort officials changed security measures after sources warned that possibly 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists were to be smuggled into the U.S. through underground tunnels with high-powered weapons to attack the Arizona Army base, according to multiple confidential law enforcement documents obtained by The Washington Times.

"A portion of the operatives were in the United States, with the remainder not yet in the United States," according to one of the documents, an FBI advisory that was distributed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, Customs and Border Protection and the Justice Department, among several other law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. "The Afghanis and Iraqis shaved their beards so as not to appear to be Middle Easterners."

According to the FBI advisory, each Middle Easterner paid Mexican drug lords $20,000 "or the equivalent in weapons" for the cartel's assistance in smuggling them and their weapons through tunnels along the border into the U.S. The weapons would be sent through tunnels that supposedly ended in Arizona and New Mexico, but the Islamist terrorists would be smuggled through Laredo, Texas, and reclaim the weapons later.

A number of the Afghans and Iraqis are already in a safe house in Texas, the FBI advisory said.

Fort Huachuca, which lies about 20 miles from the Mexican border, has members of all four service branches training in intelligence and secret operations. About 12,000 persons work at the fort and many have their families on base.

Lt. Col. Matthew Garner, spokesman for Fort Huachuca, said details about the current phase of the investigation or security changes on the post "will not be disclosed."

"We are always taking precautions to ensure that soldiers, family members and civilians that work and live on Fort Huachuca are safe," Col. Garner said. "With this specific threat, we did change some aspects of our security that we did have in place."

According to the FBI report, some of the weapons associated with the plot have been smuggled through a tunnel from Mexico to the U.S.

The FBI report is based on Drug Enforcement Administration sources, including Mexican nationals with access to "sub-sources" in the drug cartels. The report's assessment is that the DEA's Mexican contacts have proven reliable in the past but the "sub-source" is of uncertain reliability.

According to the source who spoke with DEA intelligence agents, the weapons included two Milan anti-tank missiles, Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles, grenade launchers, long guns and handguns.

"FBI Comment: The surface-to-air missiles may in fact be RPGs," the advisory stated, adding that the weapons stash in Mexico could include two or three more Milan missiles.

The Milan, a French-German portable anti-tank weapon, was developed in the 1970s and widely sold to militaries around the world, including Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Insurgents in Iraq reportedly have used a Milan missile in an attack on a British tank. Iraqi guerrillas also have shot down U.S. helicopters using RPGs, or rocket-propelled grenades.

FBI spokesman Paul Bresson would not elaborate on the current investigation regarding the threat, but said that many times the initial reports are based on "raw, uncorroborated information that has not been completely vetted." He added that this report shows the extent to which all law enforcement and intelligence agencies cooperate in terror investigations.

"If nothing else, it provides a good look at the inner working of the law-enforcement and intelligence community and how they work together on a daily basis to share and deal with threat information," Mr. Bresson said. "It also demonstrates the cross-pollination that frequently exists between criminal and terrorist groups."

The connections between criminal enterprises, such as powerful drug cartels, and terrorist organizations have become a serious concern for intelligence agencies monitoring the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Based upon the information provided by the DEA handling agent, the DEA has classified the source as credible," stated a Department of Homeland Security document, regarding the possibility of an attack on Fort Huachuca. "The identity of the sub-source has been established; however, none of the information provided by the sub-source in the past has been corroborated."

The FBI advisory stated the "sub-source" for the information "is a member of the Zetas," the military arm of one of Mexico's most dangerous drug-trafficking organizations, the Gulf Cartel. The Gulf Cartel controls the movement of narcotics from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the U.S. along the Laredo corridor.

However, the sub-source "for this information is of unknown reliability," the FBI advisory stated.

According to the DEA, the sub-source identified Mexico's Sinaloa cartel as the drug lords who would assist the terrorists in their plot.

This led the DEA to caution the FBI that its information may be a Gulf Cartel plant to bring the U.S. military in against its main rival. The Sinaloa and Gulf cartels have fought bloody battles along the border for control of shipping routes into the U.S.

"It doesn't mean that there isn't truth to some of what this source delivered to U.S. agents," said one law-enforcement intelligence agent, on the condition of anonymity. "The cartels have no loyalty to any nation or person. It isn't surprising that for the right price they would assist terrorists, knowingly or unknowingly."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/...mp;template=printart

Yet another good reason for better border control.


Sent to me by a Dz.comer.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[Zipp0 1]

If true, this is terribly disturbing. Using weapons like that they could kill thousands, if done correctly. IS that what it will take for us to control the border? Will it be Bush's fault when the attack comes? (he has done basically nothing to secure our borders)

Correct link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NATION/111260034/1001

--------------------------
Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[nerdgirl 0]

Follow-up, with acknowledgement to Jason Sigger, LTC USA (ret) for catching this:

FBI dismisses Fort Huachuca terror plot story

"The plot was like something from a Hollywood blockbuster: dozens of foreign terrorists working with a Mexican drug cartel to attack a Southern Arizona Army post with anti-tank missiles and grenade launchers. Paying one of Mexico's most ruthless drug cartels $20,000 apiece, 60 Afghan and Iraqi terrorists would be smuggled into Texas and hole up at a safe house.

"But the plot, widely reported by local stations and national TV networks and The Washington Times, turned out to be nothing more than fiction, an FBI spokesman said Monday.

"'A thorough investigation was conducted, and there is no evidence showing that the threat was credible,' said Manuel Johnson, an FBI spokesman based in Phoenix.

"The intelligence about the Fort Huachuca plot came secondhand from Drug Enforcement Administration sources in Mexico who were "of uncertain reliability," the Times reported. Another intelligence expert questioned the timing of the leaked documents that detailed the plot, especially considering their release came some six months after the attack was supposed to have taken place."

---- ---- ---- ----

One more data point on the need for good human intelligence, healthy skeptocism, and inter-agency/international coordination; the latter international coordination actually seems to have happened in this case. Bitter irony that individual US federal agencies can work better with international partners than each other, perhaps.

Now, if you don't trust the FBI or the US Army to start ... ah, who knows ...

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[masterrig 1]

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If true, this is terribly disturbing. Using weapons like that they could kill thousands, if done correctly. IS that what it will take for us to control the border? Will it be Bush's fault when the attack comes? (he has done basically nothing to secure our borders)

Correct link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NATION/111260034/1001

Although, this story proved to be un-true, the very strong possibility of something like that happening is very real. What about some of the elaborate tunnels between Mexico and California? This country needs to really wake-up and smell the coffee! We've been so lulled into a false sense of security. We need to get after our congressmen and women and let them know how we feel or we'll vote for someone who will do something about the problem.


Chuck

[Andy9o8 2]

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Although, this story proved to be un-true, the very strong possibility of something like that happening is very real.

Even if it is plausible, you've just played into the hands of the propagandists.

The propagandists manipulate public opinion by playing to people's fears, and they understand that people tend to believe, on faith, stories that validate their fears.

The propagandists think of a nightmare scenario which might have some plausibility in theory; they create a false story and plant it somewhere where it gets published; then the other news media pick it up and spread it; then it gets circulated in blogs and chain e-mails (usually with subject lines like "Very disturbing!!"), becoming part of the "common knowledge." Except that it's false. And that lets the owners of Snopes make a good living debunking this stuff.

But even after it's debunked, it's too late: people get all charged up just thinking about the possibility that it might happen - and the propagandists' mission is accomplished.

[masterrig 1]

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Although, this story proved to be un-true, the very strong possibility of something like that happening is very real.

Even if you're correct, you've just played into the hands of the propagandists.

The propagandists think of a nightmare scenario which might have some plausibility in theory; they create a false story and plant it somewhere where it gets published; then the other news media pick it up and spread it; then it gets circulated in blogs and chain e-mails (usually with subject lines like "Very disturbing!!"), becoming part of the "common knowledge." Except that it's false. And that lets the owners of Snopes make a good living debunking this stuff.

But even after it's debunked, it's too late: people get all charged up just thinking about the possibility that it might happen - and the propagandists' mission is accomplished.

As well as there are propagandists on the other side. Did I say that I 'believed' the story? I don't think so. I only stated that the possibility is there. I had heard that story earlier in the week while it was being told as 'false'. Am I to take it that you don't feel this type thing 'could' happen? We thought for years that, something like 9-11 could never happen. I pointed-out the elaboratunnels between Mexico and California, used for getting dope and illegals into this country and that was proven. I think, I've learned to separate the gran from the chaff.


Chuck

[kallend 2,064]

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Did I say that I 'believed' the story? I don't think so. I only stated that the possibility is there.

There are a whole lot of nightmares that a possible. It's the ones that are probable that we should be worrying about.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[DJL 235]

There are 1969 miles of border between the US and Mexico, 88,633 miles of shoreline, 3987 miles on the undefended Canadian border. If people want to get in then they will. There are weapons that could be unleashed in huge population centers that would kill many people.

None of this will change how I live my day to day life.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[rehmwa 2]

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There are 1969 miles of border between the US and Mexico, 88,633 miles of shoreline, 3987 miles on the undefended Canadian border. If people want to get in then they will.

Not for long, I'm genetically altering muskrats and barn swallows to patrol linear stretches of territory and violently kill any human that crosses their territory from left to right.

The trick is to get them to birth facing the right direction.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[masterrig 1]

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Did I say that I 'believed' the story? I don't think so. I only stated that the possibility is there.

There are a whole lot of nightmares that a possible. It's the ones that are probable that we should be worrying about.

You got it!


Chuck

[masterrig 1]

Quote

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There are 1969 miles of border between the US and Mexico, 88,633 miles of shoreline, 3987 miles on the undefended Canadian border. If people want to get in then they will.

Not for long, I'm genetically altering muskrats and barn swallows to patrol linear stretches of territory and violently kill any human that crosses their territory from left to right.

The trick is to get them to birth facing the right direction.

I guess you've heard about animals getting back at humans? It's quite an elaborate plan.


Chuck