10th
November 2008
OSAMA bin Laden is
planning an attack against the United States that will
"outdo by far" September 11, an Arab newspaper in London
has reported.
And
according to a former senior Yemeni al-Qaeda operative,
the terrorist organisation has entered a "positive
phase", reinforcing specific training camps around the
world that will lead the next "wave of action" against
the West.
The warning, on the front
page of an Arabic newspaper published in London, Al-Quds
Al-Arabi — and widely reported in the major Italian
papers — quotes a person described as being "very close
to al-Qaeda" in Yemen.
The paper is edited by
Abdel al-Bari Atwan, who is said to be the last
journalist to interview Osama bin Laden in 1996.
According to the report, bin Laden is himself closely
following preparations for an attack against the US and
aims to "change the face of world politics and
economics". The operative is quoted as saying that "this
will be shown by the fact that we now control a major
part of the south of Somalia".
The ex-operative says he
remains in contact with current chiefs of the
organisation in Yemen and that only six months ago bin
Laden had sent a message to all jihad cells in the Arab
world which asked them not to interact with their
governments or local political parties and to deny any
request for mediation or formal talks.
The source also said that
during the next few days the terrorist organisation may
send a sign of its violent intentions.
The warning has emerged
at the same time as publication of a report leaked to
The Telegraph newspaper which reveals that a
document drawn up by the intelligence branch of the
Ministry of Defence says that thousands of extremists
are active in the UK.
The document says the
operatives are predominantly UK-born and aged between 18
and 30. Many are believed to have been trained in
overseas terrorist camps.
Security officials,
The Telegraph reports, are convinced al-Qaeda cells
will attempt another "spectacular" inside the UK with
major transport centres, such as airports and train
stations, the most likely targets. Other targets include
the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall and Buckingham and
St James' palaces, with the threat level described as
"severe".
