CIA Foils Underwear Bomb

[Jan Klimkowski]

So, what's going on here?

A genuine squabble amongst factions, spindoctors, intelligence operatives?

A diversionary sideshow?

Or perhaps a terror that if too many details about this intelligence operation are revealed, its false and constructed nature may be impossible to hide?

Underwear bomb plot: British and US intelligence rattled over leaks

Leak about UK involvement described as despicable by CIA as anger turns to Obama administration for compromising mission

Ewen MacAskill in Washington and Ian Black, Middle East editor

guardian.co.uk, Friday 11 May 2012 19.26 BST


Detailed leaks of operational information about the foiled underwear bomb plot are causing growing anger in the US intelligence community, with former agents blaming the Obama administration for undermining national security and compromising the British services, MI6 and MI5.

The Guardian has learned from Saudi sources that the agent was not a Saudi national as was widely reported, but a Yemeni. He was born in Saudi Arabia, in the port city of Jeddah, and then studied and worked in the UK, where he acquired a British passport.

Mike Scheur, the former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit, said the leaking about the nuts and bolts of British involvement was despicable and would make a repeat of the operation difficult. "MI6 should be as angry as hell. This is something that the prime minister should raise with the president, if he has the balls. This is really tragic," Scheur said.

He added: "Any information disclosed is too much information. This does seem to be a tawdry political thing."

He noted that the leak came on the heels of a series of disclosures over the last 10 days, beginning with a report that the CIA wanted to expand its drone attacks in Yemen, Barack Obama making a surprise trip to Afghanistan around the time of the Bin Laden anniversary and "then this inexplicable leak".

Robert Grenier, former head of the CIA counter-terrorism centre, said: "As for British Intelligence, I suppose, but do not know, that they must be very unhappy. They are often exasperated, quite reasonably, with their American friends, who are far more leak-prone than they.

"In their place, I would think two and three times before sharing with the Americans, and then only do it if I had to. The problem with that dynamic is that you don't know what you don't know, and what opportunities you might be missing when you decide not to share. The Americans are doing a very good job of undermining trust, and the problem starts at the top."

The name of the British passport-holder has not yet been released but may come out through al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. He is reported to have spent time at at language school in Sana'a, the Yemeni capital, and been recruited by al-Qaida as a suicide bomber.

Mustafa Alani of the Gulf Research Centre in Dubai told CNN that the bomber had been recruited by the Saudis to penetrate al-Qaida about a year ago, in part because the group would be attracted by the fact that his UK passport meant he could travel to the US without a visa.

"Apparently he was able to convince al-Qaida that he is genuinely ready to carry out the mission," said Alani, who CNN said had been briefed by Saudi counter-terrorism officials. Alani said his understanding was that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) intended the would-be suicide bomber to fly through a Gulf country to connect to a US-bound flight.

The Saudi operation culminated with the agent and another Saudi informant likely his handler being whisked out of Yemen, Alani said. "My information is that he was pulled out after the device was handed to him, and they ordered the green light to carry out the operation," he told the US network.

Yemen has been a key target country for the CIA and MI6 in line with the growing strength of Aqap in recent years. But the lead on the ground has been taken by the Saudi intelligence service, the Mabahith, which is best placed to operate in the local environment and exploit links on either side of the border.

Both the US and British intelligence communities are known to work closely with their Saudi counterparts and both have liaison officers permanently stationed in Riyadh and Sana'a.

Aqap moved its operations to Yemen in 2007 after the defeat of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia. The Nigerian "underwear bomber", Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit in 2009, was radicalised in Yemen while claiming to be there as a student.

The US, Britain and the Saudis are likely to have preferred their own intelligence operation to co-operation with the Yemeni security authorities, who are anxious to avoid being seen as a western pawn.

Cables released by WikiLeaks exposed the scale of US covert involvement in the Arab world's poorest country. In 2009 the Saudi deputy interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, told General James Jones, President Obama's national security adviser: "The Saudis have been monitoring conversations of al-Qaida operatives in Yemen very closely and whereas before the [recent] attack they were hearing relaxed 20-minute phone conversations over cellphones, after the attack the phones went virtually silent. This suggests that at least for now these operatives are more focused on their own security rather than on planning operations."

Bin Nayef's support for operations against Aqap is unsurprising. He survived an assassination attempt in Jeddah in September 2009 when a Saudi Aqap operative named Abdullah al-Asiri feigned repentance for his jihadi views in a meeting with the prince then blew himself up with a bomb concealed in his anus. Al-Asiri's brother Ibrahim is Aqap's chief bombmaker.

Gregory Johnsen, a US expert on Aqap, pondered on his blog whether the group would now reveal the identity of the undercover agent. "Undoubtedly, Aqap recorded a marytrdom video of the undercover agent before giving him the bomb," Johnsen wrote. "The US and Saudis won't divulge his identity for obvious reasons, but will Aqap?"

[Lauren Johnson]

The Associated Press gets credit for actually breaking the recent "underwear bomber" news, but the information that the plot was an inside job by an intelligence operative actually appears to have come accidentally from a White House attempt at damage control.

What makes Reuters' Mark Hosenball's story's fascinating is how it so clearly shows the fine line intelligence and law enforcement agencies have to walk when they deal with the press. It can't be easy showing they're doing their job while assuring people they're safe while not revealing sensitive information. In this case, while explaining why the public had no cause to worry, an insider apparently tipped his hand.

You know those expert commentators who once held high-level counter-terrorism jobs and now work as talking heads for news shows? Well, they're called "experts" because they get access to people like current counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan, who held a conference call to brief some of them on the plot earlier this month. And while explaining why they shouldn't tell people the United States was in danger from a would-be bomber, Brennan apparently let the secret slip, reports' Hosenball:

According to five people familiar with the call, Brennan stressed that the plot was never a threat to the U.S. public or air safety because Washington had "inside control" over it.

Brennan's comment appears unintentionally to have helped lead to disclosure of the secret at the heart of a joint U.S.-British-Saudi undercover counter-terrorism operation.

The next step was for Richard Clarke, a former Clinton counter-terrorism adviser who was on the call, to say on ABC News that "The U.S. government is saying it never came close because they had insider information, insider control, which implies that they had somebody on the inside who wasn't going to let it happen." The transcript from that broadcast is available if you want to read it. The White House says Brennan never leaked the information, and "places the blame squarely on AP," which probably suits the AP just fine.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/...use/52537/

[Dawn Meredith]

It was only a matter of time before the literal-minded turned their attention to "undercover operation."

The TNT BVD from the CIA.

I wouldn't want to be the guy to debrief the suspect.

Anyway ...

I have the perfect underwear bomb idea that will defeat all efforts at detection:

Wear a pair of too-tight jockey shorts for three weeks in the desert sun.

Never take them off -- not even when voiding.

Get on a plane.


Drop your trousers.

How did I miss this??? Belly laugh.

:rockandroll:

[Dawn Meredith]

The Associated Press gets credit for actually breaking the recent "underwear bomber" news, but the information that the plot was an inside job by an intelligence operative actually appears to have come accidentally from a White House attempt at damage control.

What makes Reuters' Mark Hosenball's story's fascinating is how it so clearly shows the fine line intelligence and law enforcement agencies have to walk when they deal with the press. It can't be easy showing they're doing their job while assuring people they're safe while not revealing sensitive information. In this case, while explaining why the public had no cause to worry, an insider apparently tipped his hand.

You know those expert commentators who once held high-level counter-terrorism jobs and now work as talking heads for news shows? Well, they're called "experts" because they get access to people like current counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan, who held a conference call to brief some of them on the plot earlier this month. And while explaining why they shouldn't tell people the United States was in danger from a would-be bomber, Brennan apparently let the secret slip, reports' Hosenball:

According to five people familiar with the call, Brennan stressed that the plot was never a threat to the U.S. public or air safety because Washington had "inside control" over it.

Brennan's comment appears unintentionally to have helped lead to disclosure of the secret at the heart of a joint U.S.-British-Saudi undercover counter-terrorism operation.

The next step was for Richard Clarke, a former Clinton counter-terrorism adviser who was on the call, to say on ABC News that "The U.S. government is saying it never came close because they had insider information, insider control, which implies that they had somebody on the inside who wasn't going to let it happen." The transcript from that broadcast is available if you want to read it. The White House says Brennan never leaked the information, and "places the blame squarely on AP," which probably suits the AP just fine.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/...use/52537/

Would they dare be so blatant as to use the same bullshit again? Probably. American sheeple need to get a clue.
FWIW, soon's I heard a few weeks back they were gonna start letting people board airplanes with KNIVES I got scared about another false flag attack.
No fear, they will use that breast milk this time. Laced with anthrax. Really throw us all off.
How do people GET so fucking stupid????
Dawn

[Dawn Meredith]

It will be interesting to see how the "trial" of the "Boston bomber" plays out. This poor dupe -"underwear bomber" -had a trial also but the two attorneys, Kurt and Lori Haskill who witnessed the "sharp dressed man" arguing with the ticket taker about letting the patsy on the plane w/o a passport, saying "we do this all the time" were ready to testify at that trial. But they were not permitted. Two ordinary lawyers who never gave a thought to conspiracy became enlightened almost overnight. Maybe having it happen to you is what it takes for some. They are very knowledgable on false flag ops now. My point being, even if the Defense can get access to the truth, such will be kept out at trial. The trial will be a formality like McVeigh, and those who would come later. A show trial like thay had for Sirhan.

And Amerika will believe he got "justice".