The CIA is analyzing a purported terrorist videotape obtained in Pakistan in which a disguised man claimed to be from the United States and warned of a coming wave of violence against America, according to U.S. intelligence officials and sources familiar with the contents of the recording.
The hourlong tape contains markings that indicate it was produced by al-Qaida, makes reference to recent events including bloodshed in Sudan, and includes warnings that U.S. "streets will run with blood," officials and sources said. But U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials said that they had not been able to verify the authenticity of the recording, and that U.S. authorities did not have any information linking it to plans for a specific attack. "We don't yet have a positive ID on the speaker," said one U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official added that the speaker's face was almost completely covered by a head scarf and dark glasses. "He may or may not have been born" in the United States, the official said. "But he does say in the tape that the United States is the country of his origin and he speaks English."
The tape was first obtained over the weekend by ABC News in Pakistan, according to Jeffrey W. Schneider, vice president of the network's news division in New York. He declined to elaborate on the source of the recording, but said ABC provided a copy to the CIA and the FBI. Because the tape had not been authenticated, Schneider said the network had no immediate plans to broadcast it. "It would be grossly inappropriate for a news organization to go ahead and air a tape like this without confirming its authenticity," he said. |