Newspaper Says U.S. Ignored Terror Warning

Sat Sep 7, 1:29 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The United States ignored a clear warning in July last year from the emissary of a Taliban leader that Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network was planning a major attack on U.S. soil, the Independent newspaper said on Saturday.

It said an emissary acting for then-Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil warned both the United States consul general in Pakistan, David Katz, and the United Nations ( news - web sites) in Kabul of the impending attack, but was ignored.

A State Department official, asked about the newspaper story, reiterated previous government statements that the United States last summer was aware of reports that al Qaeda might be preparing an attack.

"We took all warnings very seriously," issuing public announcements, travel warnings and cautions during that period that attempted to alert the public to these threats, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, the official added: "We had no specific information" that three hijacked airliners would strike New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon ( news - web sites) on Sept. 11. A fourth hijacked plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

The Independent cited unnamed U.S. sources as confirming that a warning had been received from the emissary but was discounted because he did not say he was acting for Muttawakil and was just one among many carrying messages of doom.

"We were hearing a lot of that kind of stuff," the newspaper quoted one diplomatic source as saying. "When people keep saying the sky's going to fall in and it doesn't, a kind of warning fatigue sets in."

The Independent said Muttawakil, who feared al Qaeda would bring destruction to Afghanistan ( news - web sites) and who distanced himself from the more extreme views of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, handed himself over to the new Afghan authorities in February.

It said he was now in U.S. custody and unavailable for comment.

Just weeks after the alleged meeting between his emissary and Katz in a safe house in Peshawar, hijackers crashed civilian airliners into New York's World Trade Center, a field in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon outside Washington.

More than 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 attack the United States blames on bin Laden.

The Independent reported State Department and U.N. officials in New York said they knew nothing about a Taliban warning but would look into the matter.

-- (911 deaths sanctioned by Dumbya @ the. NWO puppet), September 07, 2002

Answers

Yah, Cherri I'll never give up posting the truth. It's you and me babe, down to the last day.

Luv ya :)

-- (midwiffery @ Midland.TX), September 07, 2002.

Ted Rall is a cowboy redneck. Heehaw let's get out the pickup trucks and the rifle racks!

-- ain't it the truth (aint@it.though), September 07, 2002.

And if the US had heeded this "warning" and Bush had acted in some pre-emptive way to prevent the 9/11 attack, we'd have called him a Fascist dictator.

Ha, gotcha Roloboy. Heads we win, tails you lose.

It's all about politics, baby. Cherri and me got some big plans.

-- (fug @ll.pugs), September 07, 2002.

“Cherri and me got some big plans.”

Now that sounds like a laugh riot. Go easy on the kool-aid stud.

-- An image to (burn@yer.eyes), September 07, 2002.

Why don't you use your name here, big boy? you say, "And if the US had heeded this "warning" and Bush had acted in some pre-emptive way to prevent the 9/11 attack, we'd have called him a Fascist dictator. "

The truth, of course, is that Bush is in fact a mere Fascist Dictator WANNABE.

-- joj (jump@off.c), September 10, 2002.

Pugs, you can't reason with them Joe, and you definately can't vote for them.

-- Kathy Krapapples (kat@krap.apples), September 10, 2002.

Duuuh. Dumbya didn't want to act pre-emptively to prevent the 911 attack. He personally gave Bin Baby the go ahead. Now he has an excuse to take over Iraq and let his corporate oil buds move in and steal all the oil. And then of course we will have WWIII when middle class America will be eliminated so that the NWO global corporations can dominate the planet. All that will be left will be the wealthy elite and the slaves that make them rich. If you're not a NWO player right now, guess where you're going to end up. Duuuh.

-- lol (how dumb @ can. you get), September 10, 2002.