Al Qaeda evolves

Bill Gertz:

Al Qaeda terrorists are rebuilding their capabilities and continuing to plan mass-casualty attacks inside the United States, according to an intelligence assessment made public yesterday.

"We assess [al Qaeda] has protected or regenerated key elements of its homeland attack capability, including a safe haven in ... Pakistan [tribal areas], operational lieutenants and its top leadership," according to the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), a consensus analysis of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.

"Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al Qaeda senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al Qaeda will intensify its efforts to put operatives here," the report stated.

Retired Vice Adm. Michael McConnell, the director of national intelligence whose office produced the NIE, said the United States will face a "persistent and evolving terrorist threat" in the next three years.

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"They're working as hard as they can in positioning trained operatives here in the United States," Mr. McConnell said. "They have recruitment programs to bring recruits into [the tribal] region of Pakistan [who] could come to the United States, fit into the population and then use some of the training that they receive in the Pakistani area for explosives and so on."

Edward Gistaro, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats and chief drafter of the NIE, said al Qaeda's efforts to recruit, train and deploy operatives in the United States is a "disturbing trend."

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Frances Fragos Townsend, a White House counterterrorism official, said the NIE reinforces the danger of a major terrorist attack.

"We are facing a persistent terrorist enemy, led by al Qaeda, that remains driven and intent on attacking the homeland, and that continues to adapt and improve its capabilities," Mrs. Townsend said, adding that there are no signs of an imminent attack.

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It should not be news that al Qaeda wants to attack us here again. I suspect that the organization is frustrated by its inability to do so and that is why it is increasing its efforts. The Democrat response to this news is to blame the administration rather than the terrorist and to ignore its responsibility for encouraging the terrorist through its incessant criticism of the administration. This at a time when it is pushing for the effective release of terrorist at Gitmo by insisting on giving them full constitutional rights.