by Kyle LaFleur - Talk Radio News Service
Maltese Ambassador Mark Miceli-Farrugia joined other diplomats from the United States and Europe Friday to hear warnings from an expert panel that groups associated with Al-Qaeda may still be attempting to use urban warfare style terrorist attacks against civilians, much like the attack in Mumbai, India in 2008.
“One thing that’s clear is that there was meat to this, that this was a real plot or perhaps it is more accurate to that that these were real plots,” said Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization.
The panel, put together by the FDD, was comprised of senior members at the FDD as well as an Associate Vice President at George Washington University.
“Late last night I saw a report that the Taliban looking to make up for the Time Square bombing may have a new operative inside the US and as far as I’m aware, we may get an update on this in a moment, European police are continuing to search for hit teams plotting attacks against civilians in Britain, France, German, Sweden and perhaps elsewhere,” said Cliff May, President of the FDD.
Recent commentary from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UN regarding a September 11 conspiracy and recent arrests made in Europe of Al Qaeda recruits like Germany’s Ahmed Siddiqui were among the controversial issues the panel tackled.
“I was on a radio show a few days ago and the first question I was asked was why would Al Qaeda plan such strikes now,” May said. “My reaction was to say well that’s like asking why do dogs bark, it’s what they do. This is the business that Al-Qaeda is in.”