http://digbig.com/4mctx
Michael Scheuer
The recent disruption of a developing terrorist plot to destroy an underwater tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York City and inundate lower Manhattan offers an opportunity to assess the impact of Osama bin Laden's decade-plus effort to inspire others to undertake operations against the United States and its allies without al-Qaeda's direct help or guidance. Of all bin Laden's aims for al-Qaeda, the instigation or inspiration of other Muslims to jihad always has been his top priority. Claiming that he, after all, is only one Muslim, and that al-Qaeda is at best a vanguard organization, bin Laden has explained that al-Qaeda's goal of driving the United States as far as possible from the Middle East can only be achieved if other Muslims decide on their own to form groups, pick up arms and fight the "Crusaders." The information so far available about the New York City plot appears to follow the model bin Laden has been encouraging since 1996.
