Intelligence chiefs warn of more Qaeda terror plots against US

WASHINGTON - Intelligence chiefs have warned that al Qaeda is likely to attack the U.S. within six months.

They said Nigerian terror suspect Abdulmutallab has identified his handlers in Yemen, including the man who designed his underwear bomb, and given extensive details about his training. He also said that there are other recruits just like him and emphasized that more attacks against the United States are in the works, sources said.

Attorney General Eric Holder, in a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said Abdulmutallab “has provided additional intelligence to the FBI that we are actively using to help protect our country.”

National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair reaffirmed today what officials have learned from Abdulmutallab and warned that al Qaeda’s pool of suicide bombers may include U.S. citizens and that the terror group may be targeting U.S. nationals overseas for attack.

Testifying before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Blair said that while the United States has ramped up its efforts against al Qaeda, it is becoming increasingly difficult to identify the group’s immediate plans.

Blair told the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday that an al Qaeda attempt against the United States “is certain,” when asked about the possibility of it happening in the next three to six months.

CIA Director Leon Panetta and FBI Director Robert Mueller gave Senators a similarly stark assessment Tuesday, telling them that it is becoming more difficult to identify the threat posed by an evolving al Qaeda, which has become more reliant on its regional terror networks to conduct attacks. (ANI)