For all you LIHOP/MIHOP folks out there, do any of you remember...

[FormerRepublican]

...the terrorist warnings leading up to 9/11? At the time, I was paying close attention to the daily terrorist attacks in Israel - and OK, I'm pro-Israel as well because I do think they're our allies despite the AIPAC thing. Anyway, since I was reading everything terrorist and Israel related at the time, I clearly remember Israel going against Washington's wishes and warning of an imminent terror attack on US soil pre-911. At the time, I considered it an impossibility and pretty much ignored it, but it stuck in my mind because of the controversy. It would have been about June or July of 2001. I recall it clearly because there was an immediate negative response from our guys in Washington (you know who) who thought the warning should not be made public. They didn't deny the need for the warning, just that they didn't want to alarm people by making it public.

I remember re-reading the stories about the Israeli warnings shortly after 911, but they disappeared off the internet shortly after. I also read all the articles about art students, Israelis cheering when they saw 911 happen, the AIPAC thing, etc. etc. Who knows what's up with Israel now days. But I do clearly remember Israel publicly warning the American public in the press about an imminent terror attack on US soil, and our government raking them over the coals about it. And I also remember it because Israel almost never publicly disagrees with our government - we pay them big bucks in assistance and they don't like to upset the cash cow.

I also remember an eerie quiet back then in politics - and our officials saying over and over that the terror chatter had dropped off and the press saying everyone was in a panic over what the terrorists were going to do.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else here recalls those stories pre-911... It's interesting fodder for the LIHOP/MIHOP guys. IMO, it could go either way. It could be evidence that the US was working to prevent the attacks and just didn't want it to go public (in which case, why deny it now), or they knew it was coming and the people without enough power to prevent it were in a panic, but those at the top were waiting (planning) for it to happen. Or they just plain dropped the ball because they, like me, didn't believe it could ever happen. We had a different mind set about our invulnerability pre-911...

[TNOE]

1. Some Info Here

Also - I remember on 9/10/2001 that agents went in and shut down Arabic websites - wonder if I have a link on that - will check - but I remember reading about it day before and wondered what was up - so no one could warn anyone.


Foreign_Intelligence_Warnings
by Paul Thompson.


WARNINGS THAT THE DANGER WOULD COME FROM THE AIR

BRITAIN, WARNING #1: Al-Qaeda is planning to use aircraft in "unconventional ways", "possibly as flying bombs"

1999 (C): MI6, the British intelligence agency, gives a secret report to liaison staff at the US embassy in London. The reports states that al-Qaeda has plans to use "commercial aircraft" in "unconventional ways", "possibly as flying bombs."

BRITAIN, WARNING #3: An Al-Qaeda attack will involve multiple hijackings

Early August 2001 (C): Britain gives the US another warning about an al-Qaeda attack. The previous British warning (see July 16, 2001) was vague as to method, but this warning specifies multiple airplane hijackings. This warning is included in Bush's briefing on August 6.

CAYMAN ISLANDS, WARNING #2: Three al-Qaeda agents are part of a plot "organizing a major terrorist act against the US via an airline or airlines"

August 29, 2001: Three men from either Pakistan or Afghanistan living in the Cayman Islands are briefly arrested in June 2001 for discussing hijacking attacks in New York City (see June 4, 2001). On this day, a Cayman Islands radio station receives an unsigned letter claiming these same three men are agents of bin Laden. The anonymous author warns that they "are organizing a major terrorist act against the US via an airline or airlines." The letter is forwarded to a Cayman government official but no action is taken until after 9/11 and it isn't known when the US is informed. Many criminals and/or businesses use the Cayman Islands as a safe, no tax, no questions asked haven to keep their money. The author of the letter meets with the FBI shortly after 9/11, and claims his information was a "premonition of sorts." The three men are later arrested. Its unclear what has happened to them since their arrest. FTW

EGYPT, WARNING #1: An undercover agent learns 20 al-Qaeda agents are in the US, four have received flight training


http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline/main/foreignwarnings.html

[Bluerthanblue]

5. and remember Ashcroft stopped

flying in regular filghts,
and that there was a 'military excercise' going on that day- in NYC. airspace- and ...there were an AWFUL lot of 'convient coincedences' as i recall.

Daddy bush was meeting with Saudi's in ...D.C?

[sabra]

2. Check out the Sept 11 forum, you definitely get some bites there

in addition Paul Thompson is a member of DU, and an amazing resource.

[Last Lemming]

3. Read:

Justin Raimondo's The Terror Enigma and you will find a detailed discussion of this issue.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. There was a trial in NYC

and I think they were going to sentence one of the clerics (maybe the blind guy?). I remember hearing on the news that they were on higher alert because they thought al Qai(CIA)da would retaliate.

I also had heard about the military going on high alert at least 2 or 3 times in 2001 before 9-11. One of my employees had a brother in the military and his sister-in-law would freak out everything it happened cause she wasn't allowed to contract her husband when the base was on high alert.

[livvy]

6. I just finished reading "The New Pearl Harbor"

The author is David Ray Griffin. The copyright is 2004, but the one I just finished is the updated edition with a new afterword. He addresses this as well as a number of other issues regarding 9/11. I thought it was informative and would recommend it. I got my copy through Amazon for $15.00 for the paperback.

[ignatius 2]

7. Here you go..an amazing 9-11 timeline

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline.jsp?timeline=cpmplete_911_timeline