The Terrorist Threat Uncontrolled Borders Allow Terrorists to Enter the United States (March 2001) Several years have passed since there was a major act of terrorism within the United States, so the threat has faded from the general consciousness. However, at this writing, two trials of terrorists are going forward and bear attention. American security experts concur that there are powerful terrorist forces, particularly Islamic ones, who have the means and the desire to strike against America. The plan in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was for the entire building, shown here, to collapse and kill thousands. Six people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. In February 2001, CIA Director George Tenet described the global terror network of Osama bin Laden as “the most immediate and serious threat” to U.S. national security in testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Bin Laden, a Saudi multi-millionaire, directs and finances a “holy war” against America. Several defendents are now being tried in the Federal District Court in Manhattan in connection with the bombings of the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya on Aug. 7, 1998, which resulted in the deaths of 224 people. One of the defendants, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, testified that “based on his study of Islam, he felt he had an obligation and a duty to kill Americans.” Another person involved in the bombing is Ali Mohamed, who pleaded guilty last year. He was a native of Egypt who came to the U.S. and served in the Special Forces for three years. He rose to the rank of sergeant and instructed elite commando units on the fine points of Islamic culture and politics. It appears that Mohamed was working for the Egyptian Islamic Jihad at the same time he was in the Special Forces. After his honorable discharge, he went to Afghanistan, where he trained bin Laden's men in explosives. He testified that he showed pictures of the American Embassy to bin Laden and how an explosive-packed truck could enter with a suicide bomber. The trial has provided more insight into bin Laden's worldwide terrorism network, which targets Americans in particular for violence. In Los Angeles, Algerian Ahmed Ressam was convicted April 6 of nine federal charges which could bring 130 years in prison. Sentencing will be June 28. Prosecutors described a scheme to bomb American celebrations during the 2000 New Year. The resident of Montreal was arrested when attempting to cross the Canadian border with 130 pounds of explosives in his trunk and was spotted as strangely nervous by an observant Customs Officer. The U.S. has been relatively lucky so far, particularly considering that our immigration policy welcomes one and all, even potential enemies. Newsweek reported (2/19) that the FBI is investigating whether Somalis in Minnesota are contributing money to a bin-Laden-connected group. The East Bay is home to open supporters of the Taliban, who have provided refuge for bin Laden. — by Brenda Walker     FURTHER READING: Council on Islamic American Relations News Releases Check out the various demands from American Muslims made on the media and politicians. One example is the group's demand that the bad guys in an upcoming film based on a Tom Clancy book be changed from Islamic terrorists — too stereotypic, they said. In the film, The Sum of All Fears, the terrorists have become neo-Nazi white men. U.S. Commission on National Security 21st Century Also known as the Hart-Rudman Commission, the site includes a report and a forum. Worldwide Threat 2001: National Security in a Changing World CIA Director George Tenet's testimony in February 2001 to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on various threats. U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China More commonly known as the Cox Report, this study was a bipartisan work and found that “The People's Republic of China (PRC) has stolen design information on the United States' most advanced thermonuclear weapons.” Mexico: The next Lebanon? Mexico's National Security Adviser Adolfo Aguilar Zinser announced that Islamic terrorist groups are contacting Mexican guerrillas and “have a presence” along the border. Apparently they find the sieve-like conditions of the border aggreeable to their aims of striking at the Great Satan (America). Report of the National Commission on Terrorism Chaired by L. Paul Bremer III, this report is titled Countering the Changed Threat of International Terrorism and was submitted in June 2000. Terrorism: Background and Threat Assessments The Federation of American Scientists has compiled a thorough collection of terrorism information, reports etc.