By Pierre Thomas
[url=http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/DailyNews/moreterror020918.html]ABC News[/url]
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 — The FBI sent a notice to thousands of law enforcement officers today, warning them that terrorists may be developing a new way to hijack passenger jets, government sources told ABCNEWS.
The agency also is concerned that the al Qaeda terror network is searching for new ways to sneak explosives on planes — explosives that cannot be detected.
Law enforcement sources emphasized the al Qaeda discussions took place before last year's Sept 11 attacks, and that there is no information indicating current, ongoing planning.
In today's weekly Intelligence bulletin, distributed to 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the country, the FBI warns that al Qaeda members have discussed "hijacking a commercial airliner using Muslim extremists of non-Arabic appearance" to slip past security.
Today's bulletin is based on interrogation of an al Qaeda member in detention.
"This is a very smart bunch of people and they definitely think of all the angles," said Robert Blitzer, former FBI chief of the Domestic Terrorism/Counterterrorism Planning Section. "They are very creative. Just look at how well they hid themselves here in the U.S. prior to the Sept 11 attacks."
Sneaking Explosives Onto Planes
The discussions involved using 10 to 20 "Chechen Muslims affiliated with al Qaeda, but already present in the United States" to overwhelm the crew after taking seats in first class, according to the FBI bulletin.
Other discussions called for sneaking liquid explosives mixed with coffee and brought onto the plane in carry-on bags. Aviation sources said current airport technology would not detect such explosives.
Even though the al Qaeda plans were developed before Sept. 11, sources say, given al Qaeda's tendency toward long term planning, there is reason for concern.
"Al Qaeda does plan years in advance and we've seen this over and over again," said Blitzer. "[V]ery, very long planning cycles some times up to two-three years."