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Threat Assessment: States May Help Terrorists Attack U.S., CIA Director Says By Greg Seigle Countries such as Iraq and Iran may be aiding terrorists who aim to attack U.S. interests at home and abroad, creating concern that one of them may help Osama bin Laden or other terrorists obtain weapons of mass destruction, Tenet said. “Although the Sept. 11 attack suggests that al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups will continue to use conventional weapons, one of our highest concerns is their stated readiness to attempt unconventional attacks against us,” Tenet said. “Terrorist groups worldwide have ready access to information on chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons through open sources,” he continued. “Documents recovered from al-Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan show that bin Laden was pursuing a sophisticated biological weapons research program. We also believe that bin Laden was seeking to acquire or develop a nuclear device. Al-Qaeda may be pursuing a radioactive dispersal device, what some call a ‘dirty bomb’ (see related GSN story, today). “Alternatively, al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups might try to launch conventional attacks against the chemical or nuclear industrial infrastructure of the United States to cause widespread toxic or radiological damage,” Tenet said (see GSN, March 12). Possible targets of terrorist attacks in the United States include high-profile government or private facilities, famous landmarks and U.S. infrastructure nodes, such as airports, bridges, harbors, dams and financial centers, Tenet said. U.S. diplomatic and military installations are at high risk, especially in East Africa, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said. Al-Qaeda cells already in place in major European cities and the Middle East are prepared to launch attacks against U.S. interests, Tenet said. The group also could call on associates or connections to other terrorists groups in countries such as Somalia, Yemen, Indonesia and the Philippines, he added. State Link a Concern Terrorists and countries such Iraq and Iran may have different ideological views, but they are drawn together by their common goals to attack U.S. interests and damage Western influence throughout the world, Tenet testified. In the past Tenet and other U.S. officials have speculated that countries seeking to attack the United States might employ terrorists so that they are not directly linked to such attacks — hence, do not suffer the repercussions. Yesterday Tenet said “tactical cooperation” between states and terrorists groups is possible. “While al-Qaeda represents a broad-based, worldwide Sunni extremist network, it would be a mistake to dismiss possible connections to either other groups or state sponsors, either Sunni or Shia,” he said, referring to the different sects of Islam. “States like Iran and Iraq … continue to support terrorist groups,” Tenet said. “Iran continues to provide support, including arms transfers, to militant Palestinian groups and Hezbollah. Tehran also failed to move decisively against al-Qaeda members who have relocated to Iran from Afghanistan,” Tenet said. Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq has long supported terrorists, including giving sanctuary to Abu Nidal and other known terrorists, Tenet said. “Baghdad has a long history of supporting terrorism, altering its targets to reflect changing priorities and goals,” Tenet said. “It has also had contacts with al-Qaeda. Their ties may be limited by divergent ideologies, but the two sides’ mutual antipathy toward the United States and the Saudi royal family suggests that tactical cooperation between them is possible, even though Saddam is well aware that such activity would carry serious consequences” (see GSN, March 19). Political Balancing Act The war on terrorism has greatly reduced the effectiveness of al-Qaeda, eliminating its training bases in Afghanistan and leading to the arrest of some 1,300 suspects in more than 70 countries, Tenet testified. In addition to maintaining relations with terrorists who share a common enemy with Iraq — namely, the United States and Western influence in the Middle East — Hussein has been maneuvering to cultivate support among Arab neighbors, trying to make a U.S. attack on his country less likely, Tenet said (see GSN, March 19). “Saddam has craftily responded to our progress in Afghanistan with a political and diplomatic charm offensive,” Tenet said. “He's carefully cultivating neighboring states, drawing them into economically dependent relationships, in the hopes of further undermining their support for sanctions,” he continued. “The profits he gains from these relationships provide him the means to reward key supporters and, more importantly, to fund his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.”
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