by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 26, 2001
All Rights Reserved.

ntering a bold new age of global terrorism, the U.S. is no longer immune to subversion and infiltration, requiring heightened security and adroit counter-measures. Packed with explosives, bomb-making paraphernalia and his phony ID, 33-year-old Algerian Ahmed Ressam drove his all-American Chrysler 300M to the obscure border check-point at Port Angeles, Wash. on December 14, 1999. Clean-shaved, casually attired, and presenting his Western alias Benni Norris, the clever Algerian almost made it through, had it not been for the keen instincts of veteran border inspector Diana Dean who noticed his shaky hands and beads of sweat dripping off his scalp. Moments later, when Dean asked “Norris” to step out of the car and open his trunk, he bolted the scene, trying to out run border guards until he was finally tackled and apprehended. Inside his trunk, inspectors found 130 pounds of bomb-making material, including 10 bags of explosive whitish powder, two jars of viscous liquid packed in sawdust, and 4 homemade timing devices stamped with his fingerprints.

       Now facing trial in Federal Court in Los Angeles, the Ressam case reveals that Mideast terrorism has now made its way to American shores. “We’re taking extraordinary efforts in the government to act based on the incident out in the Pacific Northwest,” said President Clinton on the eve of millenium celebrations scheduled for December 31, 1999 around the world. Overseas’ terrorism is bad enough, but the prospects of Islamic suicide bombers on American soil sounded a loud wakeup call. Referring to the U.S. as “the big bull’s eye” for international terrorists, the Ressam case “demonstrates that there is a global network . . . that really wants to hit us where we live,” said an unnamed intelligence official, driving home the point that terrorism is now a real threat. “We will always have fringe elements within the community that will act as loners, as fanatics,” said Aslam Abdullah, vice chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles, dismissing the threat as government and media hype. Bad publicity or not, Ressam’s arrest provides the most convincing evidence to date about the infiltration of Mideast terrorism into American territory.

       Busting Ressam also confirmed what terrorism experts in the top-secret “situation room” and “Principals Committee”—replete with high-ranking military and intelligence advisors—suspected, namely, that a carefully executed worldwide terrorist network has already been deployed. Known as “sleeper cells,” these camouflaged groups of Islamic terrorists are organized, financed and orchestrated by renegade Saudi millionaire and international terrorist Osama bin Laden. Popping up in more than 50 countries, Bin Laden’s terror network now spans the globe into the Western Hemisphere, threatening American interests on its own turf. “One day they’re [Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist group] recruiting and raising money for the jihad [holy war], and the next day the same “cell” can become the group that works with the attackers,” said Richard A. Clarke, a White House terrorism expert. Dismissing the Bin Laden connection not only endangers American interests but invites more terrorism by ignoring key counter-terrorism measures—including tracking down suspected terrorists.

       With evidence mounting that the deadly 1998 attacks—costing 224 lives—on U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were executed by “sleeper cells” loyal to Osama bin Laden, terrorism experts now believe that recent attacks against American targets also lead back to Kabul. Crying foul and claiming racial-profiling, Abdullah protested that the government and media were “overblowing an issue.” With Ressam’s unmistakable link to mastermind Bin Laden and his connection to fugitive accomplice Abdelmajid Dahoumane, admitted terrorist Abdelghani Meskini, and reputed organizer Mokhtar Haouari, the FBI isn’t exaggerating the Kabul connection. Despite Abdullah’s concerns about stereotyping, law enforcement has every right to profile suspected terrorists. Drawing parallels to Timothy J. McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing can’t hide the fact that the U.S. is currently under Bin Laden’s siege. CIA Director Tenet told Congress that the renegade Saudi poses an “immediate and serious threat” to U.S. security.

       When a suicide bomber blasted a 40-foot long hole in the hull of the U.S.S. guided missile destroyer Cole in the Yemen port of Aden killing 17 seamen, suspicions were raised about a “sleeper cell” being activated in the Arabian peninsula. All CIA reports pointed in the direction of Osama bin Laden. Dismissing this fact makes good public relations, but doesn’t acknowledge the reality that most recent terrorism against U.S. interests leads to Kabul. Hitting U.S. targets abroad is somewhat expected, but infiltrating U.S. borders from Canada threw the FBI for a loop. “One thing we learned [from the Ressam case] is that there is an increasing vulnerability here, that there are people here [in the U.S.] that have connections to these groups,” said Samuel R. “Sandy” Berger, national security advisor for President Clinton. “Bin Laden is continuing to place emphasis on developing surrogates to carry out attacks in an effort to avoid detection, blame and retaliation,” said Tenet, underscoring the present danger of Mideast terrorism.

       As Ressam’s trial unfolds, the pieces of the terrorism puzzle begin to fall in place, especially the cleverly camouflaged connections to Bin Laden’s terrorist network. Redeeming Reagan’s promise of “swift and effective retribution” in 1998, Clinton fired cruise missiles at a “pharmaceutical” plant in Khartoum, Sudan and Bin Laden’s terrorist base near Kabul, Afghanistan. Finally cutting teeth in terrorism policy, the U.S. could no longer be seen as a paper tiger. But with the latest attack on the guided missile destroyer Cole coming only 2 weeks before the last presidential election, no such retaliation followed. Without timely retaliation, terrorists like Bin Laden are emboldened to conduct subversive operations with impunity. Only through stinging force do thugs back down and mind their own business. Look what happened when Reagan dropped a bomb on Khadafi’s tent. With the threat of global “cellular” terrorism on the rise, there’s no substitute for decisive action. Anything less won’t get it done.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He’s director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic public relations. He’s the author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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