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| US studies Khan's contacts |
| 2004-08-05 |
| A captured al-Qaeda operative whose computer files described surveillance of key U.S. financial centers contacted people in the USA as recently as this year, two U.S. officials with knowledge of counterterrorism efforts said Wednesday. Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, an al-Qaeda computer expert who was arrested July 13 in Lahore, Pakistan, also is believed to have connections with unidentified operatives who could be planning pre-election attacks in the USA, said the officials, who may not discuss such matters publicly. The officials would not say how many people in the USA were contacted by Khan, 25. It also was unclear whether those he contacted were al-Qaeda operatives or unwitting associates of the suspected terrorist. But the officials said the FBI is examining whether the communication was part of an al-Qaeda effort — described in separate intelligence made public in April — to disrupt the Nov. 2 elections. The officials said the communication from Khan — along with files on his computer that indicated al-Qaeda had done surveillance on five U.S. financial institutions dating to before the 9/11 attacks, and separate streams of intelligence that suggested threats to the USA — led to the terrorism alert announced Sunday for New York City, Newark, N.J., and Washington. Included in the separate intelligence was a "serious" threat to New York, said two U.S. intelligence officials who are not allowed to comment publicly. They did not describe the threat or its source but said it is being investigated. U.S. officials still say they have no evidence an attack is imminent. But with the Bush administration facing questions about whether the alert was based on dated evidence of al-Qaeda surveillance, officials are giving a fuller picture of the factors behind the alert. Meanwhile, continuing streams of intelligence suggesting a pre-election attack have led U.S. authorities to focus on the 60 days before the elections as the main period for concern, said a U.S. law enforcement official who does not speak publicly about such reports. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |