Dennis Blair: US Faces 'Persistent Terrorist Threat' From Al-Qaida
VOA News 03 February 2010
A top U.S. intelligence official says the United States faces a "persistent terrorist threat" from al-Qaida and potentially others who share its anti-Western ideology.
The director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, said in written congressional testimony Wednesday that the terrorist threat against the United States remains, despite important progress being made over the past few years.
He said al-Qaida maintains its intent to attack the country, and it prefers a large-scale operation that would cause mass casualties or harm the U.S. economy, or both.
In his testimony to the House of Representatives' Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Blair said enhanced counterterrorism efforts have interrupted or deterred some plotting, but actionable intelligence on key details is often fragmentary and inconclusive, due to the "stringent operational security practices" of the terrorists.
Tuesday, Blair told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he feels "certain" that al-Qaida will try to attack the United States again in the next three to six months.
Also in the hearing Tuesday, U.S. officials said the Nigerian man who allegedly carried explosives and tried to bomb a U.S.-bound airliner December 25 has been sharing information with federal authorities.
FBI Director Robert Mueller said Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has provided valuable information about his al-Qaida contacts. Officials said members of the suspect's family helped persuade him to talk.
A federal grand jury has indicted the 23-year-old on six criminal counts, including attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder He has pleaded not guilty.
On other topics Wednesday, Blair said intelligence on Iran indicates that Tehran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons.
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