corrente

Here's some detail on the intelligence behind the latest extremely "non-political" terror alert from Department of Electoral Security Chief Tom Ridge.

The Prudential Building, one of the sites listed by Ridge, is in Newark, NJ. Looking, then, to the Newark Star-Ledger (Advance Publications), here's what we find:

In Newark, home to one of the targets, Prudential Financial, a law enforcement source said intelligence officials believe a single al Qaeda operative probably studied the 24-story office tower before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and after, at least into 2002.

Oh-k-a-a-a-y. That's good enough for me! But wait, there's more!

Analysts in Newark and Washington are studying roughly 60 pages of detailed surveillance information -- including minutiae such as the color of Prudential security force uniforms -- that had been deeply encrypted in a computer seized in Pakistan, the source said.

Oh-k-a-a-a-y! Naturally, the Pakistanis would never (1) game us for purposes of their own, let alone (2) tell Bush what he wants to hear, especially (3) in an election year, when (4) He already gave them a free pass on proliferating their nuclear technology all over the Middle East and to North Korea. Intelligence material from Pakistan's ISI? That's good enough for me! But wait! There's more!

The reconnaissance included a diagram of the Broad Street building, photographs of the structure "from all angles," and schedules of the off-duty police officers who worked there, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.

Oh-k-a-a-a-y! Of course, we all know that computer files and documents are virtually impossible to fake, even for large and well-funded intelligence agencies! This is one of the best features of digital technology!

Information about the plot, publicly revealed Sunday by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, was derived from three arrested members of al Qaeda, U.S. and Pakistani officials said yesterday.

The sources were a communications expert arrested in mid-July in Pakistan; an operative arrested 10 days later, whose computer contained evidence of the plot; and an operative believed to be in British custody.

Oh-k-a-a-a-y! Gee, though, it seems that the administration is really going out of their way to give the enemy every possible clue to our sources and methods. In this case. When in cases where they don't look so good, they hold onto their sources and methods with a grip of iron. Why would that be, I wonder?

Despite the heightened security, most citizens appeared to be going about their business.
(via the Newark Star Ledger)

Well, what choice did they have? Take the day off in the Bush economy? Head for the bunkers? Man, that gaslight sure is hard on the eyes, though ...

UPDATE And as Xan points out in comments: An AQ operative is lugging a laptop around in mountains and caves of northwest Pakistan's tribal regions? Man, I need to find out who manufactured that guy's batteries....