February 1, 2002 -- WASHINGTON - An al Qaeda terror leader told U.S. interrogators of a horrifying plot to fly a commercial jetliner into an American nuclear reactor, a government memo reveals.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission memo says that an "al Qaeda senior operative" told FBI interrogators that "there would be a second airline attack" that would have possibly more devastating results than the catastrophic attacks of Sept. 11.
If U.S. military jets try to interfere with the kamikaze nuclear strike, the terror pilots are trained to immediately fly the plane into the closest tall building, the memo said.
The al Qaeda operative told the FBI the attack was "already planned" and that "three individuals" were already in the United States and working with "non-Arabs to take part," the memo said.
It didn't indicate a date, time or location for the planned attack.
But it did say that terror operatives on the ground would choose the target.
The chilling disclosure came as Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld warned that the United States could be hit with an attack "vastly more deadly" than those of Sept. 11.
And it followed President Bush's revelation that U.S. officials in Afghanistan found blueprints of nuke facilities, water-treatment plants, city maps and information on landmarks.
An FBI official confirmed last night that the bureau provided the information to the NRC, but said the terror tip was first received "several months ago" - but after Sept. 11 - and determined to be "not a high threat."
"We put it to the test. It was not deemed to be a credible, hard threat," an FBI official said.
But a U.S. source said a foreign government provided the same terror tip a few weeks ago. That prompted the FBI to double-check the threat and, again, conclude there was nothing to verify it.
The NRC sent the memo to all 103 nuclear-power plants in the United States on Jan. 23, but didn't require the facilities to take any extra precautions.
The plants have been on high alert and under armed guard since Sept. 11.
The NRC said 20 warnings have gone to nuclear facilities since Sept. 11.
Intelligence agents have been aware for months of terror threats against nuke facilities, and don't believe the memo refers to new information, a U.S. official said.
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