Inspire released purported details about bomb parcel plot
Washington, Nov 21 (DPA): Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, suspected of sending parcel of bombs in a narrowly foiled attempt to destroy cargo aircraft, has issued a detailed account of the plot, according to a US-based terrorism watchdog group.
A non-governmental organization Intel Center, that monitors jihadist militant groups, reported late Saturday that in its English-language online magazine- Inspire, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has published purported details of last month’s parcel plot .
It described the plot as ‘Operation Hemorrhage’ and said it was conducted at a cost of $4,200. In a ‘strategy of a thousand cuts’, the group vowed smaller, more frequent attacks on US targets.
Intel Center chief executive Ben Venzke said, “We have never seen a jihadist group in the Al Qaeda orbit ever release, let alone only a few weeks after, such a detailed accounting of the philosophy, operational details, intent and next steps following a major attack.”
He added, “This may represent a new level of interaction by jihadi groups following an operation and is a far cry from the days of shadowy claims and questions as to who was actually responsible.” Venzke said that Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is likely to ‘follow through with additional innovative and varied strikes’.
The Yemeni-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula differs from the so-called core Al Qaeda, which prefers to mount spectacular, more difficult attacks that have proven difficult since the Sep 11, 2001 strikes in the US.
AQAP wrote, “To bring down America we do not need to strike big.” “In such an environment of security phobia that is sweeping America… the aim is to bleed the enemy to death.”
A strategy of economic damage has been described in another article from the latest edition of the group’s magazine, rather than human casualties, by forcing “the West to install stringent security measures sufficient enough to stop our explosive devices would add a heavy economic burden to an already faltering economy”.
