Post by Moses on Feb 10, 2006 10:52:26 GMT -5
W claims evil plot, takes heat
Critics hit timing, substance
of Prez's comments on L.A. target
BY JAMES GORDON MEEK and KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - President Bush detailed a terrorist plot yesterday that would have used shoe bombers and a hijacked plane to knock down the tallest building on the West Coast.
The plot to strike a Los Angeles skyscraper has been mentioned before, but Bush released additional details yesterday.
The timing of his remarks and the seriousness of the plot were questioned, however, by officials ranging from the mayor of Los Angeles to counter-terrorism experts.
The President's comments come as he is under fire even by members of his own party for his domestic eavesdropping program. Bush didn't contend that the eavesdropping busted up the L.A. plot, but his remarks served as a stark reminder of the menace from terrorists.
"We now know that in October 2001, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks - had already set in motion a plan to have terrorist operatives hijack an airplane using shoe bombs to breach the cockpit door, and fly the plane into the tallest building on the West Coast," Bush said.
"We believe the intended target was [Library] Tower in Los Angeles, Calif. Rather than use Arab hijackers as he had on September the 11th, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed sought out young men from Southeast Asia, whom he believed would not arouse as much suspicion," Bush added.
The attack was foiled, he said, when a plotter was arrested in Asia.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, was taken aback by Bush's statements.
"I'm amazed that the President would make this [announcement] on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels," the mayor said. "I don't expect a call from the President - but somebody."
"We should have been aware of all the details much before today," Villaraigosa said.
The White House claimed it gave California officials a heads-up about the speech.
Other Democrats, including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), have claimed Bush is following a strategy of highlighting the terror threat to counter criticism of his eavesdropping program and of the war in Iraq.
A Clinton source yesterday questioned "the timing of the speech."
Several counterterrorism officials were surprised that Bush claimed the "West Coast plot" was "set in motion."
"There was no definitive plot. It never materialized or got past the thought stage," said a senior counterterrorism official, who has worked at the CIA and the FBI.
In June 2004, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole refused to characterize it as an advanced plot.
Bush's top counterterrorism adviser, Frances Townsend, said the critics don't "truly understand what the timeline was."
She said the West Coast plot was "blessed" in October 2001 by Osama Bin Laden, but Townsend admitted little else is known about it.
With Michael McAuliff
Critics hit timing, substance
of Prez's comments on L.A. target
BY JAMES GORDON MEEK and KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON - President Bush detailed a terrorist plot yesterday that would have used shoe bombers and a hijacked plane to knock down the tallest building on the West Coast.
The plot to strike a Los Angeles skyscraper has been mentioned before, but Bush released additional details yesterday.
The timing of his remarks and the seriousness of the plot were questioned, however, by officials ranging from the mayor of Los Angeles to counter-terrorism experts.
The President's comments come as he is under fire even by members of his own party for his domestic eavesdropping program. Bush didn't contend that the eavesdropping busted up the L.A. plot, but his remarks served as a stark reminder of the menace from terrorists.
"We now know that in October 2001, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks - had already set in motion a plan to have terrorist operatives hijack an airplane using shoe bombs to breach the cockpit door, and fly the plane into the tallest building on the West Coast," Bush said.
"We believe the intended target was [Library] Tower in Los Angeles, Calif. Rather than use Arab hijackers as he had on September the 11th, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed sought out young men from Southeast Asia, whom he believed would not arouse as much suspicion," Bush added.
The attack was foiled, he said, when a plotter was arrested in Asia.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, was taken aback by Bush's statements.
"I'm amazed that the President would make this [announcement] on national TV and not inform us of these details through the appropriate channels," the mayor said. "I don't expect a call from the President - but somebody."
"We should have been aware of all the details much before today," Villaraigosa said.
The White House claimed it gave California officials a heads-up about the speech.
Other Democrats, including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), have claimed Bush is following a strategy of highlighting the terror threat to counter criticism of his eavesdropping program and of the war in Iraq.
A Clinton source yesterday questioned "the timing of the speech."
Several counterterrorism officials were surprised that Bush claimed the "West Coast plot" was "set in motion."
"There was no definitive plot. It never materialized or got past the thought stage," said a senior counterterrorism official, who has worked at the CIA and the FBI.
In June 2004, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole refused to characterize it as an advanced plot.
Bush's top counterterrorism adviser, Frances Townsend, said the critics don't "truly understand what the timeline was."
She said the West Coast plot was "blessed" in October 2001 by Osama Bin Laden, but Townsend admitted little else is known about it.
With Michael McAuliff