For Immediate Release
February 4, 2010
 
Contact:
Prof. Yonah Alexander
301-518-2823
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Laurie Kinney
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Expert Panel Says “Damaged” Al-Qaeda Remains Top Terrorist Threat

Special report calls North, West/Central Africa next terrorism trouble spot
 
Arlington, VA— An expert panel convened on January 29 by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies’ International Center for Terrorism Studies concluded that although al-Qaeda has been damaged by recent attacks on its hideouts in Pakistan, it remains the single most dangerous terrorist threat to the US in 2010. The panel included the Hon. Michelle Van Cleave, former head of US counterintelligence; former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence Charles Allen; Ambassador Bob Godec of the State Department’s counterterrorism division; BGen. David Reist, USMC (Ret.) of the Potomac Institute; Angelos Pangratis of the European  Union delegation to the US; Potomac Institute CEO Michael Swetnam, and ICTS Director Yonah Alexander.  

In his remarks, Charles Allen noted that although it has been weakened, al-Qaeda continues to show adaptability, altering its recruiting strategy to include westerners who are more likely to blend into populations they seek to attack.  He offered a warning:  another al-Qaeda attack on the US will almost certainly occur, and could involve chemical weapons.  Ambassador Godec spoke for the Obama administration, saying “all elements of national power must be brought to bear” to combat terrorism, but conceded that the attempted jet bombing on Christmas Day proves that some front-line defenses remain inadequate.

Prof. Alexander presented a new ICTS report, “Maghreb and Sahel Terrorism: Addressing the Rising Threat from al-Qaeda and Other Terrorists in North and West/Central Africa,” which cites a 558% rise in attacks by al-Qaeda and other terrorists in the region since September 11, 2001. The report also warns of increasing cooperation between al-Qaeda in the Maghreb and narco-traffickers based in Latin America. The full report is available online on www.potomacinstitute.org.