http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/09/09/090911-news-zawahiri-intraday/
The mastermind behind the terror plot announced yesterday was the man who filled Osama bin Laden’s shoes as al Qaeda’s new No. 1: Ayman al-Zawahiri.
In early August, Zawahiri personally recruited three terrorists to travel to the U.S. to perpetrate a string of car-bomb attacks on Washington, D.C., and New York City to coincide with the 10th anniversary of September 11, according to high-ranking sources in the counter-intelligence community who spoke with The Daily on condition of anonymity.
And they “may have met up with a small cell or other suspects,” the sources said.
Officials said they are acting on unverified intelligence from a single, “credible source.”
All three operatives speak fluent English. Two are believed to be American citizens, one of Egyptian descent and one of Yemeni descent, according to sources.
Zawahiri coordinated with Afghan Taliban to help smuggle the three Arab operatives to launch a string of attacks “in the U.S. and possibly Europe.”
They were instructed to carry out a car bomb-like attack in New York or Washington, but also were told “to be flexible in their attack,” sources said.
To reach the U.S., two of the operatives traveled to Pakistan through Iran, sources said. In Pakistan they met up with a third operative and traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan. In Kabul they “dropped and swapped” passports and other identification before traveling to Dubai. From there they traveled to the U.S.
Despite specifics about travel plans, officials said they do not know exactly whom they are looking for. No names were provided.
Asked about the plot this morning, Vice President Joe Biden told “Good Morning America” that there was “no smoking gun” thus far.
“We do have talk about using a car bomb. We’ve been told that was an intention ... from a credible source,” Biden said. “But we do not have confirmation of that.”