The British believe that al-Qaeda has up to 15 ships that they will use for terror attacks, possibly against Parliament, just off the Thames in London (via Drudge):

A private memo sent to police chiefs by the Met's marine unit is headlined: Next Terror Attack Waterborne?

Ship insurer Lloyd's of London is said to be helping MI6 and the CIA trace vessels bought by al-Qaeda from a Greek shipping magnate with links to bin Laden. The memo states shipping agents have been asked to help in the search.

The report by the Met - which says it obtained its intelligence from maritime agencies - states: "Al-Qaeda has reportedly taken possession of 15 ships, forming what could be described as the first terrorist navy. The ships fly the flags of Yemen and Somalia where they are registered - and are capable of carrying lethal cargoes of chemicals or a dirty bomb."

The ships are believed to be in the Indian and/or Pacific Oceans, but with over 120,000 ships sailing in those waters, it will be difficult to identify al-Qaeda rogues. I suspect that US satellite surveillance is already being used in this regard. Naval vessels have figured significantly into al-Qaeda operations in the past, and not only in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen that killed 17 American sailors. US intelligence believes that the bombs used in the two embassy bombings in Africa in 1998 were delivered by sea, as well as the explosives for the Bali nightclub bombing in 2002. American intelligence also has the al-Qaeda "admiral" Abdulrahim Mohammed Abda Al-Nasheri in custody, who according to the article had been planning suicide attacks on Coalition warships in the Gibraltar area when he was arrested.

This points out a central al-Qaeda strategy: attacking or exploiting transportation services in order to terrorize nations into paralysis -- at least that is their hope. Al-Qaeda knows that our perception of liberty centers on our ability to freely travel, within our own border and outside of them as well. They believe that by attacking us in this manner that we will shortly lose our will to fight back, leading us to withdraw from our global responsibilities and hide behind our shores. Some here believe we should do just that; at least two of them are running for President. In November, we will have the chance to demonstrate our response to such tactics. Hopefully, the electorate will provide a resounding answer.

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» Letter Of The Day Is E from Electric Venom
It's eerily early this far east but I have some energy to enlighten you all with the letter of the day...E. Enjoy: An Audience of One entertains us with extremely fond memories of the Beatles and their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. Eleanor ... [Read More]

Tracked on February 12, 2004 10:23 AM