-Caveat Lector-
FBI Says Military Plastic Explosive Used Against USS Cole
By Michael J. Sniffen
The Associated Press
W A S H I N G T O N, Nov. 1 — FBI laboratory tests have
concluded that C-4, a military-style plastic explosive, was used
in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen, a federal law enforcement
official said today.
And in another development in the investigation, U.S. and Yemeni
negotiators were near an agreement that would let FBI agents in
Yemen observe interviews with suspects and witnesses and submit
questions, but they could not participate directly in
questioning, said the official, who requested anonymity.
President Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and FBI
Director Louis Freeh had appealed to Yemen’s leaders to allow
joint questioning.
Two former counterterrorism officials said the use of C-4 in the
attack that killed 17 U.S. sailors suggested at least that an
organized group was behind the attack. One of them said it
raised the possibility of state support but fell short of
conclusively indicating some government sponsored the attack.
C-4 is a plastic explosive developed for the U.S. military in
the Vietnam era. “It lasts forever. It doesn’t deteriorate,”
said Vince Cannistraro, a former CIA counterterrorism expert.
Used During Persian Gulf War The explosive is made for military
use in the United States and in at least several NATO nations.
It is not available on the open market, like the fuel oil and
fertilizer used to make the bomb that destroyed a federal
building in Oklahoma City.
Although the C-4 formula is not a secret, one former U.S.
military counterterrorism expert said, “C-4 is not used in
industrial blasting. It usually comes from a military source.”
“Organized criminal groups have stolen C-4,” this former military
official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It requires
some amount of organization to do that. But it doesn’t require
government-level support to get it.”
Cannistraro said C-4 has been included in U.S. military sales to
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and even to Iran while the shah was still in
power. The U.S. military used it during the Persian Gulf war.
Renegade ex-CIA agent Edwin Wilson was convicted of shipping 21
tons of it about two decades ago to Libya for use in what the
U.S. government said was a school for terrorists he set up
there.
“C-4 can be stolen, but it’s not easily obtainable by small
groups,” Cannistraro said. He said he had been told that between
400 and 700 pounds of the C-4 was used to blast a 40-by-40-foot
hole in the Cole’s armored hull.
Not Tied to Specific Groups
“That possibly points in the direction of some state support,
because that’s a lot to steal,” Cannistraro said. But he said
further evidence of that would depend in part on whether the FBI
lab could use the residues left by the blast to determine the
exact chemical formulation of the C-4 used in the blast and thus
trace its manufacture to one particular country.
Cannistraro said the use of C-4 did not point to any particular
terrorist group. Osama bin Laden, the millionaire Saudi exile
who has been charged by U.S. prosecutors with masterminding the
bombing of U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, did not use C-4
there, Cannistraro said. “They used RDX detonators there, but
not RDX explosives.” RDX is a component of C-4 and other
explosives.
Nevertheless, Secretary of Defense William Cohen said Monday, “We
are looking very closely at Osama bin Laden to see whether or not
he in fact, or organizations he supports, are in some way
connected” to the Cole attack.
Meantime, the crippled Cole has been lifted onto the deck of a
specialized transport ship, the Blue Marlin, which has begun
carrying the destroyer back to the United States, the Navy said
Wednesday.
The Navy also said the remaining 217 members of the crew of the
Cole will return by plane to Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia on
Friday. Most of them will go on leave and later return to their
Cole detachment in Norfolk.
Some sailors from Norfolk volunteered to fly out to stay on board
the Cole as it journeys back to the United States, enabling the
entire Cole crew to come home, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
Some U.S. engineers and other technical experts also were on
board to assess the damage.
For two weeks after the bombing, the Cole crew remained aboard,
keeping the crippled ship stable in Aden harbor, recovering
bodies and preparing it for the journey back to the United
States.
The Cole is not expected back until early December. It most
likely will return to Norfolk, but the Navy said no final
decision had been made.
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
