The videotapes were seized from men Singapore officials suspect of having links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. The Singapore government released the tapes today.
Four separate excerpts of the videos revealed how the terror suspects, like bank robbers, case out their targets looking for weak spots in security. The tape excerpts can be viewed at the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs Web site.

In one tape, labeled "Visiting Singapore Sightseeing," authorities say the sightseers are really terrorists casing the city's Embassy Row last October.

Several scenes were taken across the street from the American Embassy with the back of the head of one of the alleged terrorists visible on the video. The tape zeroes in on security at the embassy's drive-way entrance. Similar shots were taken outside the British and Australian Embassies.

Looking for Weakness

"They're looking for the weaknesses. How are we going to get in? Can I get away with it? Can I do it, to start with? Can I get beyond the security barriers? Can I get a truck bomb or group of people into that area?" Pat O'Hanlon, a former special agent with Diplomatic Security Service, said after viewing the tapes.

The man who authorities say shot the video of the American Embassy is now being held in the Philippines in connection with a series of bombings there. He was identified as a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah group, directly connected to the al Qaeda network.

O'Hanlon said the tapes show "they are clearly targeting embassies and other Western landmarks where they think they can get away with it."

In another video, a cameraman is taping as his car approaches the Israeli Embassy in Singapore. The cameraman of this video is "Sammy," a Canadian citizen of Kuwaiti descent who is also a member of Jemaah Islamiyah. As security guards come into view, Sammy, who is still at large, lowers his camera.

Other scenes taped in November show naval ships docked in Singapore. This tape was labeled "mp 3 Rock 'n' roll."

Security experts who have analyzed the tapes say they show tight security at the embassies that might lead terrorists to focus on easier, softer targets, including American businessmen and journalists.


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