Workers in Seattle's tallest office building must be kinda nervous these days. It was just revealed - via a top al-Qaeda operative - that the structure was initially a target on Sept. 11; then considered again for a post-Sept. 11 wave of jet-crash terror.

Worse, al-Qaeda has made clear they still want to fly commercial airplanes into big buildings.

The Seattle-jet crash angle is surprising to our Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske, who told the Seattle Times:

"Tall buildings have been on our list as potential targets since 9-11," Kerlikowske said. "But we've never had anything this specific before. We've never heard we were on a list."

....Up until yesterday, it was assumed by law enforcement that Seattle kept popping up in terrorist reports because the city was associated with the arrest and prosecution of Ahmed Ressam. Ressam, an al-Qaida-trained Algerian, was arrested in December 1999 coming across the border from Canada with explosives he intended to set off at Los Angeles International Airport.
Now, officials say, it's clear that the association runs deeper.

Kerlikowske said he was surprised by the newest revelation. And Charles Mandigo, the former special agent in charge of the Seattle FBI office, said he knew nothing of (ed.-al-Qaeda detainee Khalid Sheik) Mohammed's statements (ed.-about Seattle and L.A.'s tallest office buildings being targeted) before he left the bureau last July.

"...I was not aware that Seattle was part of a bigger plot."

Tele-commute, anyone? You might save more than a few bucks on dry cleaning, parking and lunch.

If that sounds alarmist and weird, let me share this with you: last summer, hiking at Mt. Shasta, I ran into a former Silicon Valley coder who'd moved to the lovely, and fast-growing town that bears the mountain's name. He said he'd been working as an electrician on new homes in the area, and the work never stopped. A lot of clients said they were leaving the Bay Area for the boonies due to terrorism concerns.

Nice strategy if you can find good work.

At any rate, most people actually do put self-preservation - and a far-reaching U.S. attack on terrorist networks - ahead of procedural niceties for terrorism suspects. A lesson Seattle will learn only after some horrid disaster, I fear.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at June 18, 2004 08:46 AM

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» Bumbling local officials say "chill" from The Smoking Room
Have It" href="http://www.rosenblog.com/2004/06/18/nice_view_you_can_have_it.html">Matt Rosenberg notes that Seattle was a target in the original 9/11 plot, specifically the Bank of America Tower, the tallest building in the city. The police chief... [Read More]

Tracked on June 19, 2004 12:07 PM

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