Terror Threat ‘More Alarming’ Now, Panel Warns

The House Intelligence Committee warned in a report Wednesday that the terrorist danger facing the United States was “more alarming than the threat that existed prior to Sept. 11, 2001,” prompting criticism from Democrats that the Republican-dominated panel was seeking to alarm voters in advance of the midterm elections.

The report was approved by the committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats objecting to its tone and contents in strongly worded minority opinions.

“There are a growing number of groups building the capability to attack the United States, our allies and our interests abroad,” said the report, which was detailed Wednesday by Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), chairman of the committee, in a speech at a conservative think-tank in Washington.

In their rebuttal, Democrats said Americans “do not need the House Intelligence Committee to remind them” that Al Qaeda posed a serious threat, and that the assessment added “no new information to the nation’s understanding of the challenges or to the U.S. government’s ability to address them.”

In an interview, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice), ranking Democrat on the committee, likened the report to a brochure and said it contained leaps in judgment comparable to the erroneous prewar assessments of Iraq’s weapons programs.

“It cherry-picks and gives a picture that is less than complete,” Harman said. “I think the timing here fits the election calendar.”

The friction reflects rising partisan tensions on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers, against the backdrop of tight November races, are grappling with legislation on such contentious national security matters as the treatment of CIA detainees and electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens.

Republicans have sought to focus attention on national security issues, believing voters will prefer the GOP approach. President Bush has made a series of high-profile speeches in recent weeks defending the war in Iraq and repeatedly mentioning Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

The House report augments that effort, describing Iraq as the central front in the war on terrorism. Even so, there are portions that appear to undercut White House claims that counter-terrorism efforts over the last five years have made the U.S. significantly safer.

Bush and others in the administration have frequently said, for example, that up to half of Al Qaeda’s command structure had been captured or killed through aggressive operations by the CIA and other agencies.

But the House report is less sanguine: “Although coalition forces have killed or captured several of Al Qaeda’s top leaders, these vacancies have been filled by a new generation of extremists. Most of these new leaders have obscure backgrounds, and the intelligence community lacks knowledge about their particular methods of operating.”

The document also warned that Iraq has become a new breeding ground for terrorists who may target other countries. “Fighters who leave Iraq will have acquired first-hand experience in urban warfare,” the report said. “Upon returning home, they have the potential to use their knowledge, credibility and popularity to recruit and train younger generations to fight against the United States and our allies.”

In a section listing Al Qaeda plots that have been disrupted, the report states that “the committee is aware of other credible plans by Al Qaeda members to attack the United States, but cannot discuss these plans in an unclassified report.”

The committee acknowledged that all of the information in the report was “drawn only from publicly available sources” so that it could be released without concern for classification issues.

One of the few disclosures in the report was that the CIA had created an office “to look at political Islam and brief senior policymakers on the issue, as well as organize academic outreach programs around the world.”

The House report is the second in recent weeks to be released by Republicans on the panel to highlight international threats. Last month, the panel issued a report focused on Iran and its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. Some GOP members of the committee also expressed concern at the time that U.S. intelligence agencies were underplaying the threat posed by Iran.

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greg.miller@latimes.com