>>>
to an answer.
>>>
but let's begin with that alarming admission from the top
u.s. intelligence
officials during a hearing on tuesday before the
senate intelligence committee
. take a listen to what they had to say when asked a question from committee chair
dianne feinstein
of california.
>>
the likelihood of another terrorist attempted attack on the u.s. homeland in the next three to six months, high or low? director blair?
>>
an attempted attack, the priority is certain, i would say.
>>
mr. panetta?
>>
i would agree with that.
>>
mr. mueller?
>>
agree.
>>
general --
>>
yes, ma'am, agree.
>>
mr. dinger?
>>
yes.
>>
and let's bring in nbc's justice correspondent
pete williams
. pete, you just heard the
director of the cia
,
director of the fbi
,
director of national intelligence
, among others, all speak with certainty about this attempted attack within the next six months. what should people make of that?
>>
well, i think these answers are certainly a sobering reminder that the terror threat isn't receding, but what they said is it's likely someone will attempt another attack in the next six months, and that could mean very serious and well-prepared groups. it could also mean merely committed and unprepared individuals. and we saw several examples of that in just the past year. and it could range from groups overseas to individuals here at home. i think it's fair to say since 9/11 there hasn't been a six-month period without an attempt to stage a
terror attack
against the u.s., and it's a threat that's going to be with us for years to come.
>>
what, if anything, did they say about the possible nature and scope of any future attack?
>>
well, they did say they believe the u.s. has greatly diminished
al qaeda
's capacity for planning and directing complicated and highly organized attacks so that future attempts will be less disciplined, more the work of individuals, and that could range from attempted bombings to even cyber attacks on the
computer networks
that control critical facilities here in the u.s., and they did say they think the u.s. is not well defended against those attempted computer attacks.
>>
they also asked for more flexibility on how they interrogate these terrorist suspects in the future. that word flexibility, what do you think they meant by that?
>>
well, they mean the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, to not necessarily follow a set script. they think they need a little more flexibility than what they have now.
>>
finally, umar abdulmutallab, the man accused of trying to bring down that northwest flight on
christmas
day, he is talking now with investigators. do you have any idea what he might be saying and why he would be talking now?
>>
yes, and he has, and this is a very dramatic change in generating valuable intelligence about the
al qaeda
terrorists in yemen who are considered responsible for his attack. the federal officials say that abdulmutallab has been talking freely to the fbi since last thursday about what led up to that plot to blow up a
passenger jet
from amsterdam as it came in for a landing in detroit
christmas
day, and they say that a big factor in his decision to cooperate was a visit with him from members of his family from nigeria. the fbi flew them to the u.s. last month, talked with them here in washington for a while, took them to detroit, and he began cooperating enthusiastically ten days later. and they say what he's telling us is proving to be current and reliable, that it's being aggressively pursued in yemen. he talked, remember, for about an hour after he was arrested on
christmas
day, then he stopped. now with his renewed cooperation, this case probably will end with a guilty plea and not a trial, meredith.
>>
finally, before i let you go, this report about the attempted attack within the next six months is the kind of thing that sends chills down everybody's spine. should we step back a little bit from that?
>>
frankly, meredith, i think that anyone who thinks it's not likely that a terrorist
somewhere in the world
, including in the u.s., will attempt an attack against the u.s. in the next six months isn't paying attention. this is a threat that's going to be with us for a long time.
>>
but likely and certain are two very different things, pete.
>>
well, certain that they will attempt an attack. that's all they're saying, not that one will succeed, necessarily. just look at this past year. we had the guy from denver who was trying to get a bomb formula to work, najibullah zazi. we had people attempting bombings in the southwest. all kinds of ideas ranging from the completely incompetent, totally unprepared to the rather prepared, none of whom were successful, but all of whom attempted. so, that is the key to the answer. will someone attempt this within the next six months? no question. they have since 9/11.
>>
nbc's
pete williams
, thank you
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