New York Post - May 21, 2002
TERROR, INC. By NILES LATHEM and VINCENT MORRIS
May 21, 2002 -- WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden's henchmen huddled with top Hamas and Hezbollah honchos less than two months ago in Beirut for a "terrorist convention" that U.S. officials fear laid the groundwork for a massive new attack.
It is believed that the secret session March 23 launched the recent frightening flurry of "intelligence chatter" over the Internet and cell phones that U.S. security officials take as a deadly serious signal of another attack on American soil, sources told The Post last night.
U.S. officials have repeatedly warned in recent days that an attack - likely featuring homicide bombers, a Hamas/Hezbollah speciality - is inevitable.
"There will be another terrorist attack," FBI Director Robert Mueller flatly predicted yesterday. "We will not be able to stop it. It's something we all live with."
Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, added that Hamas and Hezbollah may be in a position to do even more damage than al Qaeda.
"There are several international terrorist groups which have abilities, in some cases greater abilities than al Qaeda, and a similar desire to attack the United States," he said, referring to the two terror organizations.
The March meeting that brought Hamas and Hezbollah leaders together with al Qaeda was the third in just over a year.
The sessions are especially unnerving to federal authorities because they suggest that the two radical Arab groups which have concentrated their efforts on Israel may now also target the United States.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is believed to have sent people to the meeting, as did Iran. Bin Laden is said to have sent key al Qaeda leaders.
The first meeting took place early last year, also in Beirut, where participants initially proposed a "mega-merger" to pool their resources to attack the United States and Israel.
The second meeting took place over the summer - just before Sept. 11 - in Tehran.
Intelligence officials said the groups are far from forming a completely united front, basically because of religious and ideological splits.
But their limited past cooperation has already yielded deadly results, such as the USS Cole bombing in which al Qaeda likely got its bombing expertise from a top Hezbollah terror specialist, sources said.
On Sunday, Vice President Dick Cheney predicted more attacks against the United States are "almost certain."
White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice yesterday told reporters much the same thing.
"We can be certain that we will likely be target of attack again. We are still vulnerable," Rice said.
"That's why it's important to keep assessing the threat. That's also why it's important for the American people to be vigilant."
Graham yesterday confirmed one frightening report about two dozen "extremists" who had recently slipped into America after hiding in cargo ships.
"[They] jumped on ships outside the United States, hid in the container cargoes until they got to the United States and then disembarked and they've been lost in the American population," he said.
The stowaways apparently jumped ship in Miami and Port Everglades, Fla., Long Beach, Calif., and Savannah, Ga., between late April and May 15.
U.S. authorities have refused to comment on the report.
Meanwhile, in Mueller's chillingly candid speech before a prosecutors group, he revealed the FBI thinks al Qaeda was behind the foiled airplane attack in December by British shoe bomber Richard Reid.
Even more troubling, according to Mueller, is that the fanaticism necessary to win entry into the inner circle of terrorist squads is tough to fake - making it hard for U.S. informants to infiltrate and prevent new attacks.