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US officials have identified at least 70,000 suspected terrorists around the world and say an unknown number of Al Qaeda-trained soldiers have been trying for at least five years to infiltrate the United States and launch "spectacular" attacks, Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
Attributing its sources to congressional reports, the major US daily newspaper said the State Department's watch list of dangerous individuals contains the names of 70,000 "members of foreign terrorist organizations, known hijackers, car bombers, assassins or hostage-takers."
A State Department official confirmed the numbers in the reports on Saturday and added that there are now about 80,000 suspected terrorists on the list, which has been growing by 2,000 names a month since last September, Los Angeles Times said.
In two congressional reports, US officials indicated their fearthat an unidentified number of suspected terrorists -- on and off the list -- may already be inside the United States because of serious, long-standing gaps in information-sharing by the CIA and the State Department.
The reports disclosed repeated attempts by Al Qaeda to recruit US citizens in its jihad, or holy war, against the United States since at least 1997, Los Angeles Times said. The reports also saidthe terror network, led by Osama bin Laden, has created front companies on US soil for terrorist activities and has acted aggressively to establish "operative" cells within US borders to launch bombings, hijackings and assassinations of government leaders, as well as attacks on landmarks, government buildings andtourist attractions.
Quoting an unidentified intelligence official, Los Angeles Times said Al Qaeda remains as dangerous an organization today as it was before Sept. 11 and the terrorist threat spreads far beyondAl Qaeda to other militant Islamic groups, as well as such terrorist organizations as 17 November in Greece, Abu Sayyaf in Southeast Asia and FARC in Colombia.
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2002)
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