Less Than Meets the Eye? U.S. Gvt. Sting Operation Criticized as Set up

[donotpassgo]

By Brian Ross
Aug. 13— Administration officials are leaving out key facts and exaggerating the significance of the alleged plot to smuggle a shoulder-launched missile into the United States, law enforcement officials told ABCNEWS. They say there's a lot less than meets the eye.

snip

He, on many occasions, in recorded conversations, referred to Americans as 'bastards' Osama bin Laden as a hero," said Christie.

But what he did not say was just how much of the alleged missile plot was a government setup from start to finish.

For example, Lakhani had no contacts in Russia to buy the missiles before the sting and had no known criminal record for arms dealing, officials told ABCNEWS.

link: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/World/missile030813_sting.html

[QuietStorm]

1. Ah yes a setup

or a training exercise?

"'I would have hoped the United States is thwarting real terrorism and not something manufactured because here all they're doing is stopping something they created,' said Lefcourt."

So much for hope.

[arcane1]

2. at least they stopped their self-made terror, this time!

the bastards

[RedSock]

3. i saw this report

ross said the whole plan might not have happened at all if not for the US govt's "skilled choreography"

[QuietStorm]

6. Yes but that they stopped

kind of gave them away. As soon as we invaded Iraq terror warnings stabalized. If you remember at one point when a bit of noise surfaced in regard to Iran being a threat, and it's ties to Al Qaeda, video threats emerged briefly with threat of terrorist retaliation, yet the terror alerts remained stabalized. It was so obvious they were playing those terror alerts to keep all on edge in their desire for popular approval to invade. Then nothing. It must be they have a clue people are on to them. It seems to me this is the only reason they haven't preemptively struck Iran yet, because of the rising contraversy in regard to the trumped up justifications with Iraq. Uraniumgate kind of fouls things up for them.

[Pax Argent]

18. I think you're right

but I think that 2004 was already planned to be a light year for military conquests, as our troops are all tied up in Iraq and Bush has to keep things as light and airy as possible so that folks can forget that they've been screwed. Fear has served its part (for the time being) although I look forward to the PNAC plan resuming in 2005.


Now is the time to tie up loose ends in preparation for the election.
Remember, the perception now has to be that things are better if they're going to get re-elected.

[Pale_Rider]

4. Entrapment ...

... and a sting have a fine line that is easily crossed.

Entrapment is the conception and planning of an offense by an officer, and his procurement of its commission by one who would not have perpetrated it except for the trickery, persuasion, or fraud of the officers.

Supreme Court's legal definition of entrapment in the 1932 case of Sorrells vs. United States.

[Wwagsthedog]

9. Entrapment

is how we're waging the "war on drugs" also. Be very afraid!
:evilfrown:

[aquart]

12. That was before the Patriot Act.

[Gman]

5. The blurb yesterday about these guys targeting Air Force I

grew NO legs with the press as it was obviously a Karl Rove invention to prop up the FI's weak numbers. The press saw through that one. Now they're questioning the legitimacy of this bust! It's pretty bad when even the mainstream press questions stuff like this.

[DrBB]

8. An increasing number of Americans would have regarded it

...as wishful thinking.

[ewagner]

21. Do you know

Where that Air Force I crap came from?

[Unknown Known]

7. It reminded me of all the big drug busts they used to do

and then have press conferences about with DEA and FBI. That's immediately what it reminded me of. It's a diversion from something else, probably the military families screaming about this stinking war.

This is old news anyway. Most people believe TWA 800 was brought down by one of these and Al Martin's been talking about this stuff for years.

But I did find an interesting story on this Halliburton guy who's up on federal charges for stockpiling 2,000+ missiles and the judge is keeping Cheney's name out of it. Gee, ya think he might have been selling some of them?

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_2780.shtml

It's six degrees of Adnan Khashoggi again:crazy:

[The Magistrate]

10. To Call This A 'Set-Up' Is Mild

It seems this foolish fellow dealt with no one who was not a government agent during this whole affair. He may well have had the will, but certainly lacked any means to act on it on his own hook.

Surely anti-aircraft missiles of suitable character can be had from those the U. S. government itself supplied to mujahideen in Afghanistan, hundreds of which are unaccounted for to this day.

[Mal]

15. According to Janes.com

conservative estimates are at least 100 stingers unaccounted for (out of 900 supplied).
Janes has some interesting information, including that while stingers are really good, they are also really expensive ($250,000!) and stocks 'in the wild' are limited, as opposed to the SA-7 (a soviet era missile), not too good (distressing tendency to shoot at the sun), but could be picked up for as little as $5000, and there may be tens of thousands out there, no-one actually knows.

"Missile Smokescreen in Moscow"
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jid/jid030813_1_n.shtml

"Proliferation of MANPADS and the threat to civil aviation"
nb : MANPADS - MAN Portable Air Defense Systems
http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jtic/jtic030813_1_n.shtml

(so now lets see if I've worked these links correctly...)
Edit - trying to get it right...
Edit - And again...
Edit - Will you bloody work?!!!

[goforit]

11. Ah hah!!!!.....Wag the Dog!!!......Once again!!!

What the hell does the WH think we are?

A bunch of dumb ass bozos?

Their ploys are blatantly evudent and you always know one is coming
especially when their polls are dropping steeply.

[ewagner]

22. In answer

What the hell does the WH think we are?

A bunch of dumb ass bozos?

Actually, they're counting on it.

[Newsjock]

13. CNN whores at it again

Aaron's got Michael Isikoff on, and the screen text propaganda is: BUSTED STING? Was a bigger operation compromised?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. He was probably set up in order to test Poindexter's terrorist market

but when the deal fell through, they busted him for the headline's sake.

[truthisfreedom]

16. why do they get involved in these embarrassing situations?

isn't the administration learning anything from the results of it's incessantly manipulative approach to reality? can't it find a way to fine-tune this stuff so it doesn't backfire on them in such a short period? the amount of time between an announcement by the bush administration or the FBI or CIA and the time that it backfires on them is getting shorter, exponentially. pretty soon, the embarrassing details will be heard before the event even takes place!

[patcox2]

17. Setting up Christie to run against McGreevey, or for senate?

Why else would Ashcroft and intel give such a plum to New Jersey's US attorney? You heard it here first.

[Sven77]

19. this missle

did they give him a working missle ?

[Kool Kitty]

20. According to the reports, no.

And they were going to target Air Force One? Not that again. This truly is the administration that cried wolf.