I spoke with FBI HQ today and the word they are using for this e-mail is "unfounded" Zot O'Connor wrote: > I have not gotten a "reality" check on this from any source, but to head > off issues (it is spamming USENET) I'll post the link from the Urban > Legends page: > > http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/halloween.html > > Is it true? I don't know. > > Why? > > It's difficult to rule out the possibility that some terrorist > organization somewhere in the US is planning some sort of attack on some > mall. Could it happen? Of course, but the Urban Legend Zeitgeist does > not consider it likely. > > First, consider the nature of the email warning. The warning is > secondhand, from a friend of the girlfriend who received the warning. > Urban folklorists have a name for this: a 'Friend of a Friend' (FOAF) > tale and it's one of the classic hallmarks of an urban legends. That > doesn't necessarily mean the mall attack warning is bogus, but it leaves > the Urban Legend Zeitgeist no way to assess the credibility of the > girlfriend that supposedly received the warning. > > Still, what little detail is present in the warning doesn't seem to > quite add up. > > None of the hijackers of 9/11 were from Afghanistan. While the links > between the 'prime suspect,' Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban government > of Afghanistan have been amply reported, no evidence of direct Afghani > participation in the attack of 9/11 has yet been reported. > > >From the terrorist point of view, the carrying out an attack in the US > in the near future would seem to be unattractive. > > Not only is every federal, state and even local law enforcement agency > is eagerly hunting for any remaining terrorists and their associates but > they must worry about being betrayed from a variety of any variety of > sources: foreign law enforcement agencies and intelligence agency might > tip off US authorities, knowledgeable co-conspirators, friends and > associates might inform on them, their communications might be > intercepted. In short, they might be spending more time looking over > their shoulders than preparing an attack. > > The supposed date for the attack, Halloween, seems an odd choice for an > Islamic terrorist group. Halloween holds no significance for > Islam. > > -- > Zot O'Connor > > http://www.ZotConsulting.com > http://www.WhiteKnightHackers.com
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