Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has claimed the latest al-Qaeda video release showcasing Mohammed Atta and Ziad Jarrah prior to the 9/11 attacks may have served as Bin Laden?s final warning before al-Qaeda green lights its next attack. The next attack, according to Mir, may be spearheaded by an agent named Adnan Shukrijumah and could involve ?nuclear materials.? Mir remains the only journalist to have been granted access to Bin Laden since the 9/11 attacks. In the past, Mir has called attention to Bin Laden?s interest in nuclear attacks, claiming that al-Qaeda would like to carry out such an attack in the United States called ?American Hiroshima.?
Reasons why Bin Laden might foreshadow an attack are twofold. After 9/11, Islamist religious scholars claimed that Bin Laden failed to fulfill the three main requirements pertinent to waging war: (1) provide sufficient warnings to the enemy; (2) offer his enemy a chance to convert to Islam; and (3) obtain the requisite religious authorization for the attack. Bin Laden?s forewarnings may be part of an attempt to appease religious critics and satisfy Islamic requirements. Some also believe that the video attack many believe to be awaiting bin Laden?s ?go ahead? for the next large-scale attack on US soil.
Shukrijumah
Born in Saudi Arabia , August 4th, 1975, Adnan G. al-Shukrijumah was the first-born son of Gulshair el-Shukrijumah, a middle-aged radical Muslim cleric. Gulshair served as the imam for the Farouq Mosque in Brooklyn and the radical Masjid al-Hijah Mosque in Miramar, Florida. Through his father, Adnan developed radicalized beliefs and militant contacts. He befriended Jose Padilla, the individual eventually apprehended for plotting a dirty bomb attack in the US, and Mandhai Jokhan, the person accused and convicted for his plot to blow up nuclear power facilities in Florida. Al-Shukrijumah traveled to Panama in April, 2001 where he reportedly met with and assisted al-Qaeda operatives in the planning of the 9/11 attacks.
Over the years, Shukrijumah amassed additional means needed to enact his virulent beliefs. He secured passports from: Guyana , Trinidad , Saudi Arabia, Canada , and the United States. He trained in al-Qaeda?s terror camps in Afghanistan . He took flight courses with Mohammed Atta and others in Florida and Oklahoma. He maintains a laundry list of aliases: Abu Arif, Ja?far Al-Tayar, Jaffar Al-Tayyar, Jafar Tayar, and Jaafar Al-Tayyar. After the 9/11 attacks, Hamid Mir alleges that Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri selected Shukrijumah as the operative that would lead the next attack on America.
In 2003, the FBI placed an urgent all-points bulletin for Shukrijumah, identifying the diminutive man as one of al-Qaeda?s most intelligent and deadly agents. His looks give him the ability to pass as Hispanic, Indian, or Middle Eastern, and he is fluent in English without an identifiable accent.
Porous Borders
As of October 2006, Shukrijumah remained elusive. In May 2004, officials identified him among a group of Mara Salvatrucha gang leaders in Honduras . In June 2006, Honduran officials again spotted Shukrijumah in their country. Though reports indicate that Honduran officials have no knowledge of Shukrijumah?s intentions in Honduras, the belief exists that he continues to explore avenues and assistance in gaining entrance into the US. That proved to be his last known location.
There are a few troubling developments with al-Shukrijumah?s ?acquaintances? and exploits in Central America. The Mara Salvatrucha gang (see MS-13 Group Profile) specializes in transporting illegals across the US-Mexican border. An alignment with the MS-13 may afford Shukrijumah the ability to get himself, other militants, and even weapons? materials across the border and into the US. Furthermore, an alignment with the MS-13 could provide al-Qaeda with infiltration capabilities into US territories since the gang maintains a presence in virtually every Latino community in the US.
Final Word
While some suggest Ramadan 2006 may provide the impetus for the next great attack (Ramadan Security Report: Intel Report), the probability of such an attack may yet be low. Hamid Mir has also claimed that the next big attack may be a nuclear one: a potential operation which al-Qaeda has labeled, ?American Hiroshima,? to be led by Shukrijumah. ?American Hiroshima,? according to Mir, is being held in reserve for use as a counter attack in the case that the US attacks Iran . As a source, Mir may be questionable. Despite al-Qaeda?s and Adnan al-Shukrijumah?s alleged forays into the black market to obtain nuclear or radiological materials, no hard evidence exists that concretely illustrates al-Qaeda possesses such capabilities.
