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U.S. intelligence officials said al-Qaida terrorists might be planning a major attack in early November, reports intelligence newsletter Geostrategy-Direct.
Preparations for the attack were said to have been completed by the end of October, but the attack was put off until early November, the sources said.
A key indicator was the recent taped message from Osama bin Laden, which U.S. officials said is often a prelude to al-Qaida attacks.
A statement published last week in the London Arabic newspaper, Al Majallah, bolstered intelligence of the impending attack. The report stated that an al-Qaida leader, Abu-Muhammad al-Ablaj, had sent a message stating that al-Qaida leaders have been preparing to execute bin Laden’s threat to conduct attacks against the United States.
The newspaper’s correspondent in Dubai reported that the terrorist group’s “commanders, cadres and key leaders have been holding extensive meetings wherever they are for almost one month in preparation for carrying out what was said in bin Laden’s two messages.”
The meetings are an indication that the organization’s cells around the world are preparing “for something big that will happen.” It did not elaborate.
The Al Qaida spokesman noted that the bin Laden message would lead to tighter security, but that “no security measures would stop al-Qaida’s plan.”
The statement said that al-Qaida does not plan to attack Persian Gulf state: “Our targets are known and American. We will strike U.S. trade in the Gulf.”
“We will not be content with the boycott. The big misfortune now is that many U.S. goods have had their market names changed into other names and local addresses and companies. They will be the targets of our strikes as part of our plans whose implementation has become imminent.”
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