Senior Al Qaeda leaders, including Usama Bin Laden, are believed to be behind efforts to mount a Mumbai-style attack on Westerners in European cities, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Fox News, though it's not clear how deeply involved Bin Laden was in the plot.

The news comes on the same day that Bin Laden released an audio recording in which he depicts the Pakistani government as uncaring and calls for the creation of a new relief organization to help Muslims after this summer's devastating floods.

The emerging details of the European plot point to coordinated shooting sprees or attacks and kidnappings in Britain, France and Germany -- tactics much favored by Al Qaeda. The plot was moving forward with dual national citizens, who had Pakistani and European passports, the official told Fox News, adding that Western officials intended to disrupt the plot by publicly exposing it.

Another senior U.S. official told Fox News that there is "some evidence within the intelligence community that Bid Laden was involved in plotting this foiled attack."

This official said it's believed Bin Laden was giving "broader guidance" in this case, citing the suggestion for attackers to go after softer targets in Europe.

This official noted the intelligence community has not made a direct link to Bin Laden in some of the more recent Al Qaeda attacks and plots.

"At a minimum, he played a role," this official said. "But not everyone [in the intelligence community] agrees to the level of his involvement."

Another official said that Bin Laden and his top lieutenants are believed to be driving the plot because the intelligence is coming from Pakistan, where they are believed to be hiding.

"There are multiple plots and multiple threat streams" coming out of the tribal areas of Pakistan right now," the official said, cautioning that all avenues are still being explored.

Because of the U.S.-led crackdown on Al Qaeda and other terror groups, Bin Laden and his allies have changed strategy -- abandoning their earlier preference for big spectacular attacks like the one on the World Trade Center in 2001 in favor of using low-impact technology, as they did two years ago in Mumbai in an attack that devastated India.

One senior U.S. official, meanwhile, discounted any involvement in the Europe terror plot by Al Qaeda's North African affiliate. While Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is very dangerous in its region and may want to export its terror operations to Europe, there are no indications that it is able to do that at this time, the official said.

A Pakistani intelligence official said Thursday that eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of the terror plot, still in its early stages. One of the Britons was killed in a recent CIA missile strike, he said.

Pakistan, Britain and Germany are tracking the suspects and intercepting their phone calls, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to the media.

The U.S. has dramatically stepped up its missile attacks in Pakistan's North Waziristan and is believed to have launched at least 21 this month. The covert campaign is largely carried out by CIA drones and has led to the deaths of a number of top militant leaders.

Pakistan has complained vocally about the program but is believed to provide intelligence assistance for at least some of the strikes.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/01/officials-bin-laden-involed-europe-plot/

There is now no questions about it, Bin Laden is still alove and they have proof. They have verified that it is him speakin on this latest audio message and he is talking about the recent floods in Pakistan.

i don't get why they say English or Germans... they are MUSLIMS...

No doubt.

they could be english or german nationals a lot of muslims have emigrated t othose countries

thats kinda my point...they are doing that PC crud again

They may have immigrated to those countries, but they sure as hell did'nt assimilate into the already established culture.

Filthy Muslims.

actually, English and German give an indication of WHERE IN THE WORLD they are from,, muslim just tells us what religion they have chosen to follow(if they are indeed muslim)

We have Muslims fighting for this country right now, I wouldn't say they are all filthy just because they are brainwashed by a religion of evil and dapravity.

Dont know of any Muslims fighting FOR this country, but I know the vast majority are fighting against it.

How about fighting and dying to be buried in the best known and honored military cemetery in US?

...................................

Crescents among the crosses at Arlington Cemetery

Sunday, August 31 2008 @ 06:48 PM EDT

Contributed by: Muslim Military Members Webmaster

Views: 3,390
Veteran Affairs Forgotten by both Muslim and non-Muslim Americans this Memorial Day are the many Muslim who have served in the US armed forces.

By Shahed Amanullah, May 30, 2005

If you ever visit Arlington National Cemetery, as many are doing on this Memorial Day, you may notice that every now and then, a crescent pops up among the field of crosses. Few Americans are aware that many American Muslims have fought and died in the US Armed Forces, including in Iraq. When you wander the cemetery grounds that overlook Washington, DC, you'll notice the grave of Army Captain Humayun Khan, who lured a suicide car bomb away from the men in his charge, saving their lives but giving up his own.
You might also come across the grave of Army Spc. Rasheed Sahib, an American Muslim from Guyana who was killed in Iraq as well, under mysterious circumstances. And then there's Army Spc. Omead Razani, a son of Iranian immigrants who also died in Iraq. Also, Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey was killed in a helicopter crash on his way to duty in Iraq. In fact, you'll find the graves of fallen Muslim soldiers and Muslim veterans in military cemeteries all over the United States, from Hassein Ahmed (Army, WWII) to Ibrahim Muhammad (Navy, WWII), from Mahir Hasan (Army, Korea) to Abul Fateh Umar Khan (Air Force, Korea).

Today, nearly 15,000 Muslims serve in the US Armed Forces, under situations of conflicting loyalties and misunderstanding both by their non-Muslim colleagues as well as other Muslims. "We don't have to prove anything," said Imam Ghayth Nur Kashif, a Korean War veteran and former counselor for the Muslim American Military Association. "Many of us were born here so it's really kind of an insult for people to question are you an American."

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.

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Now you now of some.

there are some muslims that want to adapt to our way of life, or at least as much as they can with their muslim ways... those are the smarter ones, the muslims that know they way to try to get control through the inside. they know the only way to American simalation to islam is through the political system.the liberals will never see it coming because they are to worried about being PC and being to trusting. that's what the muslims want, to infiltrate, then divide and conquer, and the liberal lefties are the ends to that means. the terrorists are not as smart, they want the world to be muslim now, by force which wont work with the western world. that's why the muslims that are here now are patient, just slowly waiting waiting to get more power, to change laws little by little until it is to late. the liberals are so worried about the conservatives that they refuse to see the truth.

U.S. Issues Europe Travel Alert as Intel Shows Terror Plot Targeting Paris, Berlin Landmarks

Terrorists plotting to carry out a Mumbai-style massacre in western Europe have a list of high-profile targets in their sights ranging from the Eiffel Tower to a hotel near Berlin's famed Brandenburg Gate, according to intelligence relayed to Fox News.

Information about the threat is seeping out as the United States issues a rare blanket travel alert for Americans in Europe, warning about the possibility of an Al Qaeda strike and advising U.S. citizens to be vigilant. The State Department alert did not offer specifics about the targets and countries that could be most at risk, saying only that Americans should be careful around transportation hubs and other popular tourist locations.

But a senior western intelligence official confirmed Sunday that a German-Pakistani national interrogated at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan provided a list of targets.

They include the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the luxury Hotel Adlon near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate. Targets also include the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as well as Berlin's Central Station and its landmark Alexanderplatz TV tower.

The State Department alert is one step below a travel warning advising Americans not to visit Europe. It comes after officials warned that Usama bin Laden is trying to execute a multi-city terror attack modeled after the deadly rampage in Mumbai two years ago.

State Department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson said she could not recall another Europe-wide alert of this nature. She said the department is "arming Americans with information" should they choose to travel and that visitors should use extra caution while traveling around "soft targets" like hotels.

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said President Obama has been monitoring the threat on a "daily basis" and has pledged to do "everything possible" to disrupt the plot.

A senior administration official said American and European officials are "all in sync" in assessing and trying to stop the threat. The official said the president has met with his security team every day since Friday. The official said newly named Chief of Staff Pete Rouse chaired a conference call with Cabinet secretaries and security officials Saturday evening.

The State Department alert urged U.S. citizens to "take every precaution" and adopt "appropriate safety measures" while traveling.

"Current information suggests that Al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks. European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions," the State Department said.

"Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services."

If the intelligence is correct, this would be the most involved role that bin Laden has played in plotting attacks since Sept. 11, 2001.

"It's clear and the plot is clear. The clarity of detail on the plans for these attacks is disturbing," one official told Fox News.

There was "some degree of coordination between the multiple teams of attackers targeting at least three Western European cities, but not all know when to hit," the official said, adding the goal was to kill many more than the 173 killed in Mumbai.

Eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of the terror plot against European cities, but the plan is still in its early stages, with the suspects calling acquaintances in Europe to plan logistics, a Pakistani intelligence official said Thursday.

One of the Britons died in a recent CIA missile strike, he said. The Pakistani official said the suspects are hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region where militancy is rife and where the U.S. has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes.

Britain's Foreign Office also upgraded its travel advice for France and Germany, warning Britons going to those countries that the threat of terrorism there is high. Before Sunday's change, the government's travel advice for France and Germany was that the threat from terror attacks there was "general." Germany's Interior Ministry said it saw no need to change its assessment of risks to the country and there were "still no concrete indications of imminent attacks" there. France also has not changed its travel advice.

The U.S. travel alert, which stressed that U.S. officials are working "closely" with the Europeans to track down terror threats, expires Jan. 31, 2011.

The alert urges Americans to register their travel plans online with the consular section of the U.S. Embassy at the State Department website. Travelers can also get updates on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/10/03/administration-issues-travel-alert-americans-europe-terror-threat/