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Terror Networks
Al Qaeda's quiet plan to outdo ISIS and hit U.S.
2014-09-20
Lots of heavy breathing, but within that a name of the cell -- Khorasan -- a purpose -- new and improved bombs -- and a general idea of personnel -- jihadis, particularly Westerners travelling to Pakistan for bomb making training from AQ in Yemen's Ibrahim al-Asiri of pantibomb fame.
[CBS] At two dozen foreign airports, U.S.-bound passengers are undergoing enhanced security screening. Agents are searching for hidden explosives. Laptops and phones with dead batteries have been banned from flights.

Great Britannia raised its national terror threat level, and the FBI is tracking American jihadists who may return home.

Sources say it's due to the emerging threat in Syria, where hardened holy warriors loyal to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri are working on new, hard-to-detect bombs.

In testimony Wednesday, the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Matt Olsen -- who warned that U.S. agencies are unable to effectively track Western jihadists inside Syria -- seemed to make a vague reference to the threat.

"In Syria, we've seen veteran al Qaeda gunnies travel from Pakistain to take advantage of the permissive environment there," said Olsen.

Sources confirm that the al Qaeda cell goes by the name "Khorasan."

Unlike ISIS, which is believed at present to be largely engulfed in its fight for territory. Khorasan is developing fresh plots to target U.S. aviation, and it's trying to recruit Westerners who have flocked to the fight in Syria, some of whom have joined the al Qaeda franchise in the country, known as the al-Nusra Front.

The fear is that U.S. and European passport holders could more easily smuggle explosives onto airplanes.

Sources tell CBS News the group includes technicians trained by al Qaeda's master bomb-builder, Ibrahim al-Asiri. The Yemen-based Asiri built the infamous but ultimately unsuccessful underwear bombs and two cargo bombs concealed in printer cartridges.

He is considered one of the most innovative bomb-builders in the jihadist world, and he's still operating freely.

At the moment, U.S. officials say there is no specific, credible threat to the homeland. But as information about Khorasan becomes available, it's clear that al Qaeda remains obsessed with bombs, airplanes, and attacking the United States.
Posted by:trailing wife

#3  I'm afraid it doesn't take a genius to remove 3 cells from a 5 cell laptop battery and the unit still works on battery power.
Posted by: phil_b   2014-09-20 18:05  

#2  Well, if you go around with a sign "kick me", eventually, somebody will take up on it.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2014-09-20 03:08  

#1  About 2 months ago, returning to the U.S. from Toulouse and then during plane change in Amsterdam, myself and traveling companion had to turn on all our electronics to show they worked.
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2014-09-20 00:54  

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