British Counter-Intelligence Work Raises Troubling Questions about U.S. Security- August 10, 2006
Norton Says Today's Brilliant British Counter-Intelligence Work
Raises Troubling Questions about U.S. Security
August 10, 2006
Washington, DC--Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, after being briefed today, said that all Americans will be grateful to British intelligence for uncovering and apparently thwarting "a sophisticated, catastrophic terrorist attack headed to our country." She said that residents of this region may have a special reason to thank the British because one of the planes may have been headed for Dulles. However, she said that there is no intelligence indicating that residents are in danger or should change their daily routine.
"It is clear that the British used two essential tools this country does not have in its homeland security arsenal. First and foremost is ample and excellent human intelligence on the ground. The second failure here is that we have not moved to next generation technology, one of the most important recommendations of the 9/11 Commission," Norton said. "Terrorists clearly have moved beyond our bulky explosive detectors to more subtle and sophisticated means to do great harm. We can only envy the high quality of the British effort to thwart this complicated plot. At the same time the primary question today's events raise for the United States is could we match what the British did if the plot had started here instead? Particularly if human intelligence was key, I doubt it. When Congress returns on September 5th, the Homeland Security Committee must hold hearings to answer this question. We are told to take comfort in the fact that the U.S. has not been attacked since 9/11. However we have yet to crack a big case like today's plot. Does this mean we are amply fortified? Following today's dramatic rescue by the British, we need to ask more probing questions and to hold ourselves to a higher standard."