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| Terror Networks |
| FBI Issues Missile Launcher Alert |
| 2002-06-01 |
| The FBI told police departments an empty launcher for a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile found near a military base in Saudi Arabia was linked to Al Qaeda, but cautioned there were no signs terrorists planned to fire on U.S. commercial jetliners. Were there signs they didn't? Instead, the FBI indicated it believes Al Qaeda may try to use such weapons against U.S.-led military forces in the region. The FBI message noted that U.S. planes have used the Prince Sultan Air Base since the 1991 Gulf War. The FBI said Thursday it was unknown how long the missile tube had been there before its discovery by Saudi soldiers about three weeks ago. Saudi security guards at the base found the 4-foot-long launcher for a Soviet-made SA-7 missile about two miles from the nearest runway, inside the base's outer perimeter fence and near an inner fence. A cover on the front of the launch tube was intact, but there were scorch marks on the back of the tube, indicating it could have been used to fire or try to fire a missile. No pilots reported seeing, hearing or detecting any missiles, and officials said there were no reports of any threats against the air base. About 4,500 U.S. troops and an unspecified number of American warplanes use the desert base. They told police departments where? In the U.S. or in Saudi Arabia? Wonder if this ties in with the SA-7s reported smuggled into the U.S.? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |