[Seems that it's reasonable to ask some basic question: Did Abdullah Al Muhajir possess radioactive materials of the type that could be used for a "dirty bomb?" Did he try to form those into a weapon? In short, was he an (alleged) terrorist wannabe or someone who (allegedly) was serious about causing widescale harm? Given that DOJ has in the past claimed drunk airline passengers were "domestic terrorists" (to up its anti-terror budgets), it makes sense to be somewhat skeptical here. --Declan] --- http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20020612/4185665s.htm Page 1A Threat of 'dirty bomb' softened Ashcroft's remarks annoy White House By Kevin Johnson and Toni Locy USA TODAY WASHINGTON -- Attorney General John Ashcroft on Monday overstated the potential threat posed by ''dirty bomb'' suspect Abdullah Al Muhajir, Bush administration and law enforcement officials said Tuesday. Ashcroft's remarks annoyed the White House and led the administration to soften the government's descriptions of the alleged plot. ''I don't think there was actually a plot beyond some fairly loose talk and (Al Muhajir's) coming in here obviously to plan further deeds,'' Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told CBS on Tuesday. His comments echoed those Monday of FBI Director Robert Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson. They backed away from Ashcroft's descriptions of the alleged plot but emphasized that Al Muhajir was dangerous and that his arrest was a victory against terrorism. [...] Ashcroft's ominous tone surprised the White House and law enforcement officials here and abroad, including some who had tracked Al Muhajir to al-Qaeda meetings in Pakistan. The law enforcement officials say the evidence against Al Muhajir, 31, indicates he was interested in many scenarios involving explosives, and radioactive materials was one possibility. They say that the former Chicago gang member once known as Jose Padilla was up to no good, but that any plans involving radiation were not as mature as Ashcroft suggested. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Wed Jun 12 2002 - 09:59:08 PDT