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Terror suspects include two Canadian citizens
CTV.ca News Staff
Two Canadian citizens are among seven terror suspects being sought in the U.S., where officials are warning that al Qaeda is preparing an attack on U.S. soil in the coming months.
"They all pose a clear and present danger to America," U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told a news conference today, adding it‘s unclear where the men are at this time.
The two Canadian citizens are identified as Abderraouf Jdey and Amer El-Maati.
According to The Canadian Press, Jdey came to Canada in 1991 and became a citizen in 1995. He lived in Montreal until November 2001.
El-Maati is believed to have discussed hitting a U.S. building with a plane hijacked in Canada, FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters at a joint news conference with Ashcroft.
El-Maati‘s father, speaking to Toronto‘s CFTO News, denied his son would try to hijack a plan. He also dismissed as untrue allegations that his son is part of an al Qaeda cell, saying "That is not my son. He is an innocent person."
‘No threat to Canada‘
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said the two men are known to Canadian intelligence officials but said there is no reason to believe they are in Canada. She also denied there was any specific threat to Canada.
Prime Minister Paul Martin echoed McLellan‘s words to reporters aboard his election campaign jet, saying there "is no threat to Canada" from the seven suspects. He says Canadians should have confidence that the government is doing everything it can to ensure there isn‘t an attack in Canada.
At a news conference, Ashcroft was asked if he thought an attack was being planned in Canada. He said, "We do not have specific information about the origin of the a specific terrorist plan.
"We do believe that al Qaeda plans to attack the United States and that is a result of intelligence. That is corroborated on a variety of levels. But we are not aware of details of a plan."
Ashcroft warned that Washington has received "credible information from multiple sources" that suggest an al Qaeda attack is imminent this summer or fall.
"This disturbing intelligence indicates al Qaeda‘s specific intention to hit the United States hard," said Ashcroft. "Beyond this intelligence, al Qaeda‘s own public statements indicate that it is almost ready to attack the United States."
It‘s not clear what form the threat will take.
Among the upcoming events that officials fear may be targeted are the Fourth of July, the Democratic and Republican conventions in Boston and New York and the November presidential election. A G8 economic summit will also be hosted by Georgia this summer.
Ashcroft said recent intelligence suggests al Qaeda may be changing who they use as operatives. That includes having them travel with their families, and someone who can portray themselves as European. The "ideal al Qaeda operative" is someone in their late 20s or early 30s, he said.
Seven suspects
The FBI is asking the public to please "Bolo" -- or Be on the Lookout For -- seven individuals believed to be linked to al Qaeda. Mueller said while they don‘t have any reason to believe the seven are working in concert "we will not take any chances."
Abderraouf Jdey -- He is a Canadian citizen born in Tunisia. The former Montrealer came to Canada in 1991 and became a Canadian citizen in 1995. He left the country in November 2001, just a few months after he obtained a replacement passport. He told authorities he lost his passport in 1999.
Mueller said he was reportedly selected for flight training in preparation for a second attack in the U.S., and also appears in a martyrs video seized in Afghanistan
A suicide letter has also been recovered from Jdey‘s home in August 1999. In the letter, he pledged to die in battle against the infidels, according to information released in 2002 by U.S. officials.
Amer El-Maati -- He is a Canadian citizen, born in Kuwait. Mueller said he is an al Qaeda member and licensed pilot, who is believed to have discussed hijacking a plane in Canada and flying it into a building in the United States.
Adam Yahiye Gadahn -- He is a 25-year-old U.S. citizen who converted to Islam. He attended training camps in Afghanistan and is known to have performed translations for al Qaeda.
Aafia Siddiqui -- Mueller said the 32-year-old mother is an al Qaeda operative and facilitator. She attended colleges in the Boston area and is believed to have left Boston in January of 2003. The FBI issued a global alert for her arrest in March 2003. Her husband, Dr. Amjad Mohammed Khan, is also wanted for questioning by the FBI.
Adnan G. El Shukrijumah -- This English-speaking suspect was born in Saudi Arabia and spent 15 years in the United States. He carries a Guyanese passport. The FBI website says he may also attempt to enter the U.S. with a Saudi, Canadian, or Trinidadian passport.
He is believed to be a possible leader of a terrorism cell, similar to the role of Mohamed Atta -- the top planner of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ahmed Ghailani and Fazul Abdullah Mohammed -- Both men were indicted for their alleged roles in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998.
Threat level holds
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday he did not plan to raise the national terror alert level. It is currently at yellow, or Elevated.
The FBI has issued a bulletin to 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. warning of the threat and has set up a special "Fall Task Force" to comb through old cases intelligence reports to make sure no vital information falls through the cracks, as occurred before the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001.
On Tuesday, a report by the International Institute of Strategic Studies said that al Qaeda has 18,000 potential terrorists spread out around the world and could be seeking weapons of mass destruction.
----------
Good thing the Khadrs aren‘t on the list. If they were me would have had to arrest them.
:cam:
Terror suspects include two Canadian citizens
CTV.ca News Staff
Two Canadian citizens are among seven terror suspects being sought in the U.S., where officials are warning that al Qaeda is preparing an attack on U.S. soil in the coming months.
"They all pose a clear and present danger to America," U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told a news conference today, adding it‘s unclear where the men are at this time.
The two Canadian citizens are identified as Abderraouf Jdey and Amer El-Maati.
According to The Canadian Press, Jdey came to Canada in 1991 and became a citizen in 1995. He lived in Montreal until November 2001.
El-Maati is believed to have discussed hitting a U.S. building with a plane hijacked in Canada, FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters at a joint news conference with Ashcroft.
El-Maati‘s father, speaking to Toronto‘s CFTO News, denied his son would try to hijack a plan. He also dismissed as untrue allegations that his son is part of an al Qaeda cell, saying "That is not my son. He is an innocent person."
‘No threat to Canada‘
Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan said the two men are known to Canadian intelligence officials but said there is no reason to believe they are in Canada. She also denied there was any specific threat to Canada.
Prime Minister Paul Martin echoed McLellan‘s words to reporters aboard his election campaign jet, saying there "is no threat to Canada" from the seven suspects. He says Canadians should have confidence that the government is doing everything it can to ensure there isn‘t an attack in Canada.
At a news conference, Ashcroft was asked if he thought an attack was being planned in Canada. He said, "We do not have specific information about the origin of the a specific terrorist plan.
"We do believe that al Qaeda plans to attack the United States and that is a result of intelligence. That is corroborated on a variety of levels. But we are not aware of details of a plan."
Ashcroft warned that Washington has received "credible information from multiple sources" that suggest an al Qaeda attack is imminent this summer or fall.
"This disturbing intelligence indicates al Qaeda‘s specific intention to hit the United States hard," said Ashcroft. "Beyond this intelligence, al Qaeda‘s own public statements indicate that it is almost ready to attack the United States."
It‘s not clear what form the threat will take.
Among the upcoming events that officials fear may be targeted are the Fourth of July, the Democratic and Republican conventions in Boston and New York and the November presidential election. A G8 economic summit will also be hosted by Georgia this summer.
Ashcroft said recent intelligence suggests al Qaeda may be changing who they use as operatives. That includes having them travel with their families, and someone who can portray themselves as European. The "ideal al Qaeda operative" is someone in their late 20s or early 30s, he said.
Seven suspects
The FBI is asking the public to please "Bolo" -- or Be on the Lookout For -- seven individuals believed to be linked to al Qaeda. Mueller said while they don‘t have any reason to believe the seven are working in concert "we will not take any chances."
Abderraouf Jdey -- He is a Canadian citizen born in Tunisia. The former Montrealer came to Canada in 1991 and became a Canadian citizen in 1995. He left the country in November 2001, just a few months after he obtained a replacement passport. He told authorities he lost his passport in 1999.
Mueller said he was reportedly selected for flight training in preparation for a second attack in the U.S., and also appears in a martyrs video seized in Afghanistan
A suicide letter has also been recovered from Jdey‘s home in August 1999. In the letter, he pledged to die in battle against the infidels, according to information released in 2002 by U.S. officials.
Amer El-Maati -- He is a Canadian citizen, born in Kuwait. Mueller said he is an al Qaeda member and licensed pilot, who is believed to have discussed hijacking a plane in Canada and flying it into a building in the United States.
Adam Yahiye Gadahn -- He is a 25-year-old U.S. citizen who converted to Islam. He attended training camps in Afghanistan and is known to have performed translations for al Qaeda.
Aafia Siddiqui -- Mueller said the 32-year-old mother is an al Qaeda operative and facilitator. She attended colleges in the Boston area and is believed to have left Boston in January of 2003. The FBI issued a global alert for her arrest in March 2003. Her husband, Dr. Amjad Mohammed Khan, is also wanted for questioning by the FBI.
Adnan G. El Shukrijumah -- This English-speaking suspect was born in Saudi Arabia and spent 15 years in the United States. He carries a Guyanese passport. The FBI website says he may also attempt to enter the U.S. with a Saudi, Canadian, or Trinidadian passport.
He is believed to be a possible leader of a terrorism cell, similar to the role of Mohamed Atta -- the top planner of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ahmed Ghailani and Fazul Abdullah Mohammed -- Both men were indicted for their alleged roles in the bombings of U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998.
Threat level holds
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday he did not plan to raise the national terror alert level. It is currently at yellow, or Elevated.
The FBI has issued a bulletin to 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. warning of the threat and has set up a special "Fall Task Force" to comb through old cases intelligence reports to make sure no vital information falls through the cracks, as occurred before the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington in 2001.
On Tuesday, a report by the International Institute of Strategic Studies said that al Qaeda has 18,000 potential terrorists spread out around the world and could be seeking weapons of mass destruction.
----------
Good thing the Khadrs aren‘t on the list. If they were me would have had to arrest them.
:cam:
