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| FBI warns of uncorroborated threat to malls |
| 2007-11-09 |
| In what one FBI spokesman described as "almost an annual ritual," the bureau has obtained uncorroborated intelligence indicating al Qaeda would like to strike shopping malls during the holiday shopping season, two law enforcement sources said Thursday. Those sources confirmed there is intelligence dating back to August that al Qaeda would like to attack malls in Los Angeles, California, and Chicago, Illinois. The FBI's information is contained in an intelligence report and is intended for law enforcement and intelligence partners. "There is no information to state this is a credible threat," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said in a statement. The information is being shared "for situational awareness," he said, and the FBI is reminding people to "remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities." A spokesman for the FBI's Chicago field office, Ross Rice, stressed the intelligence came "from an uncorroborated source and it's non-specific." Rice said there was no mention of particular malls in Chicago and Los Angeles that might be the focus of a threat. And he added that "it's almost an annual ritual" for information to come to light about mall threats at holiday shopping time. A senior counterterrorism official told CNN that the credibility of the information is very low but is being passed along out of an abundance of caution. And a senior government official described the intelligence as very raw and meant to help law enforcement partners to build on if they have other relevant information. The intelligence information about the threat to shopping malls in Chicago and Los Angeles was first reported by ABC News on its Web site. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #23 Jim: Thanks for trying! |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-11-09 20:33 |
| #22 Sorry, I just searched the website, the video isn't there. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-11-09 19:44 |
| #21 Link is supposedly on our local TV, WKRG.com (Chanel 5 )about wednesday(Mobile Alabama) |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-11-09 19:05 |
| #20 Jim: I'd like to laugh like hell, too! Got a link to the video? :-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-11-09 16:52 |
| #19 Last week a couple of robbers hit a convenience store here, the clerk reached down and pulled out a sawed off (Handle) M-1, the two crooks ran like hell, all on video. (Laughed like hell when it showed on the news). |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-11-09 15:42 |
| #18 Personally, I'm more concerned about Aqua Dots than al Qaeda. AQ would like to hurt us economically and they think all they have to do is make a threat to do some damage. That makes me want to go shopping. But when I can't find anything at the mall that isn't made in China it makes me want to go back home. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-11-09 12:14 |
| #17 say hallo to my leetle... baby? |
| Posted by: eLarson 2007-11-09 11:37 |
| #16 My wife will have her AR15 in the baby carriage. We are ready for these cock roaches. Merry Christmas!! |
| Posted by: Hupesh Dingle6987 2007-11-09 11:09 |
| #15 Wolves, not sheep, after all. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-11-09 11:03 |
| #14 The Bosnian jihadi that went on a shooting spree in that cute little mall in a Utah(?) suburb not so long ago was stopped and killed by an off duty policeman with concealed carry rights. All y'all who have concealed carry permits, please carry when you go shopping, and pass the word. The problem will quickly become self regulating. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-11-09 11:02 |
| #13 Buy Amazon, now! |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2007-11-09 09:38 |
| #12 If they do hit a mall, or several, the ME should expect quick and brutal retaliation from our military and intelligence agencies. The dhimocrats will blame Bush. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-11-09 09:22 |
| #11 Are you talking about the Mall Safety Agency? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-11-09 09:01 |
| #10 Hey, with thousands of dedicated and highly skilled Mall Cops on the job, what're we worried about? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-11-09 08:53 |
| #9 Doc, no need to invoke a conspiracy, when ineptitude and incompetence suffices. I see it more as a FBI CYA moment than anything else. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-11-09 08:37 |
| #8 Vicious rumor spread by unscrupulous rogue traders to boost Amazon, Fedex, and UPS stock prices. |
| Posted by: doc 2007-11-09 07:57 |
| #7 al Qaeda would like to strike shopping malls during the holiday shopping season Not the same thing as "plans to" but the info needs to be shared nonetheless. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-11-09 07:23 |
| #6 About 30 years ago, "psychic" Jeanne Dixon allegedly predicted a mall in upstate NY would collapse before Christmas, killing hundreds. She hadn't; it didn't; but the rubes stayed away in droves anyway, causing real economic consequences. I certainly hope people use common sense precautions but don't sacrifice the economy to al Qaeda's ability to inspire fear. |
| Posted by: Oscar Jererong9848 2007-11-09 07:19 |
| #5 It's not AQ I'm worried about so much as inadvertently straying between the leading edge of the horde of shoppers and the mall's parking lot or entrance after Thanksgiving. |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-11-09 02:59 |
| #4 2x4: There's lots of good info there. But it's up to you to make the connection. ;-) |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-11-09 02:51 |
| #3 Joe, there must be something you are not telling us. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-11-09 01:24 |
| #2 SHould correlate thai article wid the one of EGYPT [women, Xtians not allowed to be Prez of Egypt]and mine on NORTH KOREA [women under age 45 banned from street markets], + HOT AIR's from yestiddy. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-11-09 00:34 |
| #1 "Calling all shoppers! BOLO for ... um ... something. That is all!" |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-11-09 00:15 |