Leak Regarding Caught Terror Suspect Compromises al Qaeda Sting

[SkipNewarkDE]

The Bush administration leaked the capture of an al Qaeda operative last week, partly in effort to justify raising the terror level.

It seems that this action had its repercussions, as Pakistani intelligence officials are reporting that Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan has been used in a sting operation to track down al Quaeda operatives around the world.

See this CNN Story

[DeepModem Mom]

1. I hope CNN gives this story the coverage it merits on the air -- nt

[anarchy1999]

30. It's time to hit the phones and faxes!!!

DUERS: THE FIVE-STAR ACTIVISTS' RESOURCE THREAD, UPDATED 7/9/04

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=8816&mesg_id=8816

Call, phone, pastes, e-mail. Don't stop!

[Snazzy]

2. Head now: U.S. leak 'harms al Qaeda sting'

U.S. leak 'harms al Qaeda sting'
Monday, August 9, 2004 Posted: 1024 GMT (1824 HKT)


ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The effort by U.S. officials to justify raising the terror alert level last week may have shut down an important source of information that has already led to a series of al Qaeda arrests, Pakistani intelligence sources have said.

Until U.S. officials leaked the arrest of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan to reporters, Pakistan had been using him in a sting operation to track down al Qaeda operatives around the world, the sources said.

In background briefings with journalists last week, unnamed U.S. government officials said it was the capture of Khan that provided the information that led Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to announce a higher terror alert level.

Khan is a computer expert who officials said helped Osama bin Laden communicate with his terror network.

same url: http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/08/09/terror.wrap/index.html

But soon you will be hearing about terror helicopters....

MSGOP is already whitewashing their version; now headed:

Bush offers defense of terrorism alert
Also, Pakistan says U.S. blew an undercover operation

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5626850

Friday's thread here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=732538&mesg_id=732538

Juan Cole has new entry on this:

http://www.juancole.com/2004_08_01_juancole_archive.html#109203103143466382

[cthrumatrix]

18. so we (the us) outed a US mole who was gathering info.?

there really needs to be an investigation...maybe Sible Edmonds should be rehired

[k in IA]

3. On schedule, it takes 2-3 days for a huge news story to break through

(hopefully, it is breaking through and won't just disappear) at the cable news channels. MSNBC had it on their web site the day it broke but didn't play it on the news.

:shrug:

[Snazzy]

4. Should mention that's the online lead story

Both editions.

This blurb on US home page too:

The effort by U.S. officials to justify raising the terror alert level last week may have shut down an important source of information that has already led to a series of al Qaeda arrests, Pakistani intelligence sources say. Until U.S. officials leaked the arrest of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan to reporters, Pakistan had been using him in a sting operation to track down al Qaeda operatives around the world, the sources said.

If I know my Busco. (yeech), something will happen shortly this morning to derail this. Somewhat shocked it's on there at all.

[lil-petunia]

5. Finally - breaking through into the US media

what is it with the newsies these days?

They were more concerned about who caught the fish during Bush's little family vacation. (No not his Iraqi invasion, the wedding thingie)

[Snazzy]

6. Lead story on 9AM American Morning

Is the fish.

Suzanne Malvo from the White House on the fish.

Shrubs's schedule....

[k in IA]

11. Unbelievable!

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. CNN had Rice's response

and she didn't really see a big problem with leaking this guys name. Sometimes it's just so hard to know how much information to give the public and how much to hold back.

For a lady who is supposed to be so smart, she sure is stupid.

[tomfodw]

15. What she actually said was...

...she wasn't sure if whoever leaked the name knew that he was a mole.

Which, to be frank, is absolute bullshit. Whoever leaked the name had to know that the guy was a mole, because nobody would know the name without also knowing that the guy was a mole. Intelligence is compartmentalized and hierarchical; the lower you are the less you know, and vice-versa. At a low level, an analyst might know what the intelligence and how reliable it was considered to be but not who or where it came from. The higher up you go, the more you are told about sources and methods. By the time you're senior enough to know the guy's name, you're also senior enough to know his status. In fact, you'd be told the status before you'd be told the name!

So, either someone in the Bush administration blew the guy's cover knowing that he was a mole - which is close to the definition of treason - or someone somehow found out and blew the guy's cover not knowing it, which is the definition of incompetence. Either way, this is a big story, if only the press would treat it as one and not cover up yet another screwup by the Bush cabal.

[SemperEadem]

24. LOL, out of all the people in the world with the same name as him

and who is also working as a mole for us in our 'warron terr', deep undercover, all up in al Qaeda's ass, who'da thunk it would be the very same dude? :wow: Coinkydink?

We've shot ourselves in the foot--no, we've blown our damn foot off. Just to scare sheeple before the Republican convention into believing that * is 'on top of things' and you are safer as a result. A big old batch of fear to mainline for the good people and their souls (that's his buzz word).

Every person Khan's been associate with, feeding him information for the US to use, is now in mortal danger. The information pipeline may be quiet for a good 3-6 months... not that we had a stable of linguists, down with the dialect of the regions in question to begin with.

To sacrifice this man's life or as a result the lives of those over there who are, ultimately, helping * in his 'warron terr' just to get some kind of bounce in the polls before your convention is unconscionable.

But I put nothing sinister past these people.

[w4rma]

8. When Bush does something bad, it's "U.S. officials" when he does something

they think is right its "Bush".

Bush's name isn't mentioned a single time in this article, although "White House" and "U.S. Officials" are mentioned alot.

[Snazzy]

9. Made the BBC: US denies bungling al-Qaeda case

('Americas' lead story)

Monday, 9 August, 2004, 13:14 GMT 14:14 UK
US denies bungling al-Qaeda case

Computer expert Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan was detained in Lahore on 12 July.

He is said to have subsequently helped Pakistani police in secret operations against al-Qaeda - until his name surfaced in the US press last week.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice strongly denied that US officials were responsible for the leak.

"We did not, of course, publicly disclose his name," Ms Rice told CNN television on Sunday.

She said Mr Khan's identity had been given "on background" - that is for the journalists' information, not publication.

....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3548678.stm

(UK has now released four of the people rounded up and has till Tues to charge the other 9)

------

Also, front page of Le Monde, I think:

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3222,36-374921,0.html

----

[merh]

13. You have got to be kidding me, she thinks this makes her

sound intelligent and exempts her from responsibility?

"She said Mr Khan's identity had been given "on background" - that is for the journalists' information, not publication."

If you give a name and background to reporters, they report the info!
Someone tell me this madness will end soon. It's like living in an alternate universe. What is logical and rational does not come in to play with these guys and the press never calls them on it.

[central scrutinizer]

14. A Plame trial balloon?

If this flies, maybe they will now claim that Valerie Plame's name was leaked "on background" and wasn't meant to be published.

[underpants]

10. Condi"We didn't release his name.....only 'on background'"

So they didn't officially release it they just told a room full of reporters about Khan so they have a name and a face to show everyone ...uh-huh.

[lil-petunia]

12. 'member that condi lives in Wonderland

Also recall that she was placed in charge of the Iraqi reconstruction. And how quickly did that fall off the radarscope?

[Chelsea Patriot]

29. Prissy is in charge of The Iraqi Reconstruction.

You're so right, Lil-Petunia! I had forgotten all about that.

I wonder if she remembers that herself.

[rogerashton]

16. We need a president who at least thinks he is trustworthy.

"In this situation, in my view, they should have kept their mouth shut and just said, 'We have information, trust us.' "

[wrate]

17. Once again the WH compromises National Security in order to further their

agenda. You'd think they want to lose the war on terra. Wouldn't you?

[papau]

19. U.S. leak 'harms al Qaeda sting'(Bush exposes Secret scource for political

needs in the US)

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/08/09/terror.wrap...

U.S. leak 'harms al Qaeda sting'
Monday, August 9, 2004 Posted: 6:24 AM EDT (1024 GMT)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The effort by U.S. officials to justify raising the terror alert level last week may have shut down an important source of information that has already led to a series of al Qaeda arrests, Pakistani intelligence sources have said.

Until U.S. officials leaked the arrest of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan to reporters, Pakistan had been using him in a sting operation to track down al Qaeda operatives around the world, the sources said.
<snip>

The unnamed U.S. officials leaked Khan's name along with confirmation that most of the surveillance data was three or four years old, arguing that its age was irrelevant because al Qaeda planned attacks so far in advance.<snip>

Then on Friday, after Khan's name was revealed, government sources told CNN that counterterrorism officials had seen a drop in intercepted communications among suspected terrorists.<snip>

But some observers have said that Islamabad should not have been compromised by political considerations in Washington. <snip>

http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=49604
===============================
ADMINISTRATION EXPOSES SECRET SOURCE

The Department of Justice has strenuously argued that it could not release the names of detainees - even those who had not been charged or accused of terrorism - because doing so would harm national security. In a sworn affidavit, James Reynolds, then a top Justice Department official, argued that when people detained as part of a terrorist investigation are publicly identified, "terrorist organizations with whom they have a connection may refuse to deal further with them. This could eliminate valuable sources of information for the investigation. It would similarly impair the government's ability to infiltrate terrorist organizations engaged in ongoing criminal activities."<1> Apparently, this does not apply if the disclosure suits the administration's political agenda.

Last week, the administration was desperate to justify their decision to raise the threat level to orange in three states based on activity that occurred over three years ago. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice admitted yesterday that the administration - during a background briefing to reporters - identified Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan as the source of the information that prompted the terror alert.<2> According to Reuters, Khan "had been actively cooperating with intelligence agents to help catch al-Qaida operatives when his name appeared in U.S. newspapers"<3> His identification by the administration likely "cost the United States a valuable source."<4>


Sources:

1. "James Reynolds Affidavit," Chief, Terrorism and Violent Crime Section, Criminal Division, DOJ, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=49605 .
2. "CNN Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer," CNN, 08/08/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=49606 .
3. "Pakistan: U.S. Blew Undercover Operation," MSNBC, 08/06/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=49607 .
4. "U.S. Says Man Had Ties to Plot to Disrupt Vote," New York Times, 8/8/04, http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1338421&l=49608 .

[MallRat]

20. Deleted talking-out-my-ass stuff.

Sorry. Didn't mean to clutter the thread with complete bullshit. Thought it better to obliterate it.

[Snazzy]

21. JMM has a good post on this

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_08_08.php#003257

"Background" being not identifying the source of the news. It's not secret news.

"off the record" is what Rice is trying to confuse with that. In either case, it's still divulging national security information, compromising the under cover op, and pissing off allies.

Wolf Shitzer says Condi told him the name.

[MallRat]

22. Thanks for the clarification. JMM is right.

n/t

[SemperEadem]

25. if it was made clear by either words or in print, then it's fair to use

when has it ever been thought that discussing the name of an operative who is working for your side was the equivalent to adding 'background color' for the conversations? In front of a room full of reporters, she had to know that there were some who were bound to research information she tossed off as "background".

She's a PhD, but she is as dumb as a effin' post when it comes to having some basic common sense.

[farmbo]

23. Make no mistake...many operatives (and/or their families) will be executed

...so that the Bush administration would look better in light of last week's terror alert.

How many Intel operatives have to die to get Bush re-elected?

[sattahipdeep]

26. Heres a thought Rice

-- John P. O'Neill, 1996
Read His Speech to Congress On Terrorism!

"No longer is it just the fear of being attacked by international
terrorist organizations -- attacks against Americans and American interests overseas.
A lot of these groups now have the capability and the support infrastructure in
the United States to attack us here if they choose to do so."
-- John P. O'Neill, 1996

http://www.nationalstrategy.com/speakers/oneill.html

_________________________________________________________________

:puke: RICE: On background. And the problem is that when you're trying to strike a balance
between giving enough information to the public so that they know that you're dealing
with a specific, credible, different kind of threat than you've dealt with in the past, you're
always weighing that against kind of operational considerations. We've tried to strike a
balance. We think for the most part, we've struck a balance, but it's indeed a very
difficult balance to strike.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2004_08_08.php#003257

How was this threat different? :think:

[Snazzy]

27. Kick for a big scandal

Goss and the Plame contemp thing pushing this off.

All the same damn thing.

[Snazzy]

28. Reuters: Terror suspects deadline extended

Terror suspects deadline extended
Tue 10 August, 2004 15:35

By Peter Graff

LONDON (Reuters) - Police have been given another week to quiz nine terrorism suspects seized in hasty raids last week following a U.S. security alert based on a Pakistani undercover source whose name was compromised.

...

When the final extension expires next Tuesday, the men, aged from 19 to 32, must be charged or freed.

Police initially held 13 suspects in raids across the country on Aug 3. Four have since been released or charged with non-terrorism offences.

Police sources have said the arrests were carried out more hastily than planned, and experts say this may be because a sting operation had to be aborted after an undercover Pakistani source was named in U.S. newspapers.

....

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=562575§ion=news