Washington, August 27: After David Headley, the Central Intelligence Agency feels that there will be a growth in US citizens being recruited by extremist groups to carry out terror attacks abroad that could give the nation the tag of an ‘exporter of terror’, a secret CIA report posted by whistleblower website WikiLeaks has revealed.
The analysis, which has been carried out by CIA’s ‘Red Cell’, says that foreign governments are less likely to suspect American citizens of plotting terror attacks and more cases of terror emnating form the US could reduce cooperation from foreign partners in the war against terror.
“If the US were seen as an exporter of terrorism, foreign partners may be less willing to cooperate with the US on extrajudicial activities, including detention, transfer, and interrogation of suspects in third party countries,” the report says.
Referring to Headley, the report says extremist groups have noticed the ease with which US citizens can travel around the world. “Terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda have noticed the ease with which Headley was able to travel multiple times on a US visa between the US, Pakistan, and India without arousing suspicion,” it says. Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Headley has been held responsible for playing a key role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The CIA fears that terror organisations are realising that Washington is more concerned about preventing attacks on its own territory rather than attacks in other countries. This, the report says, will increase the use of US citizens in attacks abroad as the method has so far ‘slipped below the radar’ of the governments of US and other countries.
“Undoubtedly al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups recognise that Americans can be great assets in terrorist operations overseas because they carry US passports, don’t fit the typical Arab-Muslim profile, and can easily communicate with radical leaders through their unfettered access to the Internet and other modes of communication,” the report says, also giving the example of five Pakistan-origin US citizens who were arrested after they tried to join the Pakistani Taliban.
The CIA is concerned that the tag of an ‘exporter of terror’ would reduce America’s leverage as a victim with foreign governments. This it fears will make it difficult for it to extradite terror suspects. Requests of extradition of US citizens from foreign countries would also raise serious legal implications for the government, the CIA feels.
“Foreign regimes could request information on US citizens they deem to be terrorists or terrorist supporters, or even request the rendition of US citizens. US failure to cooperate could result in those governments refusing to allow the US to extract terrorist suspects from their soil, straining alliances and bilateral relations,” the documents say.
——-Agencies