Officials: U.S. Aware of Hasan Efforts to Contact al Qaeda

[kpete]

Source: ABC


Officials: U.S. Aware of Hasan Efforts to Contact al Qaeda
Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used 'Electronic Means' to Connect with Terrorists
By RICHARD ESPOSITO, MATTHEW COLE and BRIAN ROSS
Nov. 9, 2009

U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News.

It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al Qaeda figures, the officials said.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) said the CIA had, so far, refused to brief the intelligence committees on what, if any, knowledge they had about Hasan's efforts.

CIA director Leon Panetta and the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, have been asked by Congress "to preserve" all documents and intelligence files that relate to Hasan, according to the lawmaker.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fort-hood-shooter-contact...

[asjr]

1. Fishy?

[glitch]

6. Very. Starting to accumulate some of the usual markers. And ABC yet. nt

[defendandprotect]

7. The whole thing is "Fishy" . . . all of it --

[no limit]

2. We all know how good the CIA is at "preserving documents"

espcially those ones that make them look bad.

[Xipe Totec]

4. The CIA is in a double bind here

On the one hand, they had information that might have prevented the tragedy but did not share that information.


On the other hand, the CIA is prohibited by law to spy on American citizens on American soil.

[no limit]

5. I didn't know that

is that still the case though with the patriot act? We all know they clearly spied on american citizens during the Bush admin and nobody really seemed to give a shit.

And it just seems that even if the person trying to get in touch with Al Queda is a US citizen that seems like it would be the jurisdiction of the CIA since the FBI has no authority overseas.

[Xipe Totec]

10. Does the CIA spy on Americans?

"By law, the CIA is specifically prohibited from collecting foreign intelligence concerning the domestic activities of US citizens. Its mission is to collect information related to foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence. By direction of the president in Executive Order 12333 of 1981 and in accordance with procedures approved by the Attorney General, the CIA is restricted in the collection of intelligence information directed against US citizens. Collection is allowed only for an authorized intelligence purpose; for example, if there is a reason to believe that an individual is involved in espionage or international terrorist activities. The CIA's procedures require senior approval for any such collection that is allowed, and, depending on the collection technique employed, the sanction of the Director of National Intelligence and Attorney General may be required. These restrictions on the CIA have been in effect since the 1970s."

https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/faqs/index.html#spyonamer...

[robinlynne]

13. so wouldn't they hand the info over to the fbi then?

[Xipe Totec]

15. That's where it gets sticky

Collection is allowed only for an authorized intelligence purpose. If there was no authorization, handing the information to the FBI would be tantamount to admitting to an illegal surveillance...

[14thColony]

19. There are still legal ways

According to Executive Order 12333 (Intelligence Oversight), if the information about a US person was gained inadvertently as part of an otherwise legal intelligence collection operation, then it can be retained in local files for 60 days or until a determination is made as to what to do with it. Plenty of time to pass it to the FBI, who can legally hold and pursue information on US persons.

So if some US external intelligence service was monitoring an AQ cell in, say, Germany, and as part of their surveillance copied a US person contacting that AQ cell, while they would have to cease to collect once they knew it was a US person they would still be able to pass what they had to the FBI.

[boppers]

23. Online interaction, specifically email and web browsing/posting, isn't domestic.

The web is global, as is email.

No warrant or probable cause needed, and even without it, your ISP can "volunteer" the data anyways.

[C_Lawyer09]

16. Used to be illegal

Not anymore

[EFerrari]

8. Has that ever stopped them from spying or from leaking

something that is advantageous them?

[maglatinavi]

22. spying/leaks

I read that it is not true the fact about hasan trying to get in contact with alquaida. What for God's sakes is the truth??? ... this is not monkey business ... this is very serious! and very scary ..
.

[JCMach1]

3. Curiouser and curiouser... as much as I hate Lieberman

it looks like we might need hearings to get to the bottom of this...

Ha, maybe just switch committees for them!

[jus_the_facts]

9. LIHOP?

[DrZeeLit]

11. Wait for it.... wait for it. Cheney: You didn't keep America safe. Anyone wanna guess when?

He or his mouthpieces (daughter or wife) will be comparing this to attacks after 9/11 that "they" prevented.


Can't wait.

[struggle4progress]

12. CIA Denies Report of Blocking Hasan Intel

Officials Tell CBS News That Agency Isn't Withholding Information on Suspected Fort Hood Shooter

(CBS) Updated at 12:12 p.m. Eastern time

Responding to a report that the Army psychiatrist suspected in last week's Fort Hood shootings had tried to contact people within al Qaeda - and that government intelligence agencies knew about it and are refusing to brief Congress on it - a U.S. intelligence official told CBS News that the CIA isn't withholding information from Congress.

"There's no sign at this point that the CIA had collected information relevant to this case and then simply sat on it," the official told CBS News Justice and Homeland Security correspondent Bob Orr.

ABC News published the report Monday morning with details that the CIA was refusing to brief the congressional committees charged with overseeing the intelligence agencies, a senior lawmaker told ABC.

Orr reports that the CIA denies any allegation that the agency is keeping Congress in the dark ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/09/national/main...

[struggle4progress]

14. CIA Calls ABC Report That It Refused To Brief Congress On Fort Hood Suspect Bogus

Justin Elliott | November 9, 2009, 10:20AM

The CIA is denying an ABC News report that the agency has refused to brief Congress on any knowledge it has about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army major suspected in the shootings at Fort Hood last week.

"This is a law enforcement investigation, in which other agencies -- not the CIA -- have the lead. Any suggestion that the CIA refused to brief Congress is flat wrong," CIA spokesman George Little tells TPMmuckraker in a statement ...

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/cia_c...

[Blue_Tires]

17. this is starting to stink...

and the fact that he was allowed to remain in the army just gets curiouser...

[phasma ex machina]

18. Disgusting. nt

[jasi2006]

20. Another LIHOP deal similar to 9/11?

Just so they can say a "terrorist attack" took place under Obama?

[struggle4progress]

21. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[maddezmom]

24. duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...