New Al Qaeda Threat in U.S.?

I wasn't overly alarmed when the story broke earlier today, as reported by ABC News. After all, these people never will stop trying to kill Americans, be it here or abroad. What I do find annoying is we're well past the five-year anniversary of 9/11 and there hasn't been a single significant terror attack in the United States, which is a tremendous accomplishment of our law enforcement and other governmental agencies, and rarely is credit given where it is due.

Still, we can never let our guard down, so we're in this for the rest of our lifetimes.

Sources tell ABC News that the plot may have involved moving between 10 and 20 suspects believed to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Iraq into the United States with student visas — the same method used by the 19 al Qaeda terrorists who struck American targets on Sept. 11.

U.S. officials now require universities to closely track foreign nationals who use student visas to study in the United States. University officials must report international students who fail to arrive on campus or miss class regularly.

In August, the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement alerted intelligence agencies and state and local law enforcement about 11 Egyptian students who had failed to report to their classes at Montana State University. The students were ultimately apprehended.

At the time, that event was made out to be a rather innocuous tale of hapless foreign students who just happened to get lost on their way to Montana. I suspect otherwise, but that story disappeared quickly.

The plan also came only months after Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2, had requested that Zarqawi attempt an attack inside the United States.

"This appears to be the first hard evidence al Qaeda in Iraq was trying to attack us here at home," said ABC News consultant Richard Clarke, former chief counterterrorism adviser on the U.S. National Security Council.

Clarke, like many others, would like to believe that Al Qaeda in Iraq has nothing to do with Al Qaeda in a Waziristan cave, Al Qaeda in Somalia, or Al Qaeda working out of a storefront in Dearborn. Al Qaeda is Al Qaeda, wherever their location.

Meanwhile, Ayman Al-Zawarhi reared his ugly head again today, with video at Hot Air. This dude gets so much airtime, it's a wonder he doesn't have his own show. You never know, at some point CNN or MSNBC mght take the leap.

Others with the story include Michelle Malkin, Powerline, and LGF, which also has a video post.