A top counterterrorism official says al-Qaeda operatives dropped plans this year for several small attacks in the USA to focus on plotting a “more spectacular” assault comparable to the Sept. 11 attacks, according to USA Today.
The U.S. counterterrorism official, who has access to all intelligence on the terrorist group, told the paper this week that officials have no specific evidence to indicate how or when al-Qaeda might try to launch a massive strike on U.S. soil.
But, the official said, interviews with al-Qaeda detainees, intercepts of communications from suspected operatives and other sources have yielded evidence that Osama bin Laden’s network still has a command structure and a determination to launch an attack that might rival the suicide hijackings.
“It’s clear that al-Qaeda wants to strike here” and that it continues to seek opportunities for “a catastrophic attack,” said the official, who asked not to be identified.
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-11-27-alqaeda-usat_x.htm