U.S. sees no strong Qaeda link with home-grown groups

[sabra]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2951651

U.S. sees no strong Qaeda link with home-grown groups

Mar 14, 2007 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence agencies have found no strong links between al Qaeda and radical home-grown Islamist groups in the country and such groups appear incapable of September 11-scale attacks, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a Senate committee that home-grown Islamists identified by U.S. law enforcement present a greater threat than white supremacists and other more traditional American extremists.

"There are (Islamist) groups inside the country — self-generated — that could carry out acts of violence, Chertoff told the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

But he added: "I think the sophistication would likely be a lot less than we saw on 9/11, and I think their chances of success would be somewhat less."

[Nickster]

1. 19 guys on planes with boxcutters is sophisticated?

[MethuenProgressive]

2. The next Tim McVeigh or Eric Rudolf is out there

..and is a greater threat to us than any 'radical home-grown Islamist group'