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US senator seeks White House explanation
WASHINGTON: Democrat Senator Charles Schumer from New York has asked the White House to explain how and why the name of an al-Qaeda informant was leaked to the press.
In his letter, copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Monday, Senator Charles Schumer expressed that the leakage hurt the war on terror. He pointed out that confirming the name of captured al-Qaeda suspect Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, while he was still cooperating with Pakistani authorities as part of a sting operation against al-Qaeda network, the US authorities compromised his cover. Unmasking Khan’s name triggered criticism and speculation about the motives behind the leak.
Senator Charles Schumer, in his letter to White House domestic security adviser Frances Townsend on Aug 8, said, "I respectfully request an explanation to me and any other member of Congress who might wish one of who leaked this Mr Khan’s name, for what reason it was leaked. The leak compromised future intelligence activity.
Information from computer expert Khan led the United States to issue a high alert at financial institutions against a possible al-Qaeda attack, and led Britain to to arrest 12 al-Qaeda suspects.
Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia, said on television on Sunday: "In this situation, in my view, they should have kept their mouth shut." Terrorism experts said the reasons for the release of Khan’s name was a judgment error.
A former senior US intelligence official, suspecting the leakage a political motive, said, "I don’t think that the US intelligence community has shown enough creativity over the last few years for anyone to think of anything as smart as misdirection, or trying to send signals to al Qaeda."
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, when asked about the release of Khan’s name, said it was a hard line to draw between giving the public too much or too little information about terrorist threats. "We did not publicly disclose his name," she said, adding that it had been given "on background" but did not say when or by whom the name was first revealed.
US senator seeks White House explanation
WASHINGTON: Democrat Senator Charles Schumer from New York has asked the White House to explain how and why the name of an al-Qaeda informant was leaked to the press.
In his letter, copy of which was obtained by Reuters on Monday, Senator Charles Schumer expressed that the leakage hurt the war on terror. He pointed out that confirming the name of captured al-Qaeda suspect Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, while he was still cooperating with Pakistani authorities as part of a sting operation against al-Qaeda network, the US authorities compromised his cover. Unmasking Khan’s name triggered criticism and speculation about the motives behind the leak.
Senator Charles Schumer, in his letter to White House domestic security adviser Frances Townsend on Aug 8, said, "I respectfully request an explanation to me and any other member of Congress who might wish one of who leaked this Mr Khan’s name, for what reason it was leaked. The leak compromised future intelligence activity.
Information from computer expert Khan led the United States to issue a high alert at financial institutions against a possible al-Qaeda attack, and led Britain to to arrest 12 al-Qaeda suspects.
Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia, said on television on Sunday: "In this situation, in my view, they should have kept their mouth shut." Terrorism experts said the reasons for the release of Khan’s name was a judgment error.
A former senior US intelligence official, suspecting the leakage a political motive, said, "I don’t think that the US intelligence community has shown enough creativity over the last few years for anyone to think of anything as smart as misdirection, or trying to send signals to al Qaeda."
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, when asked about the release of Khan’s name, said it was a hard line to draw between giving the public too much or too little information about terrorist threats. "We did not publicly disclose his name," she said, adding that it had been given "on background" but did not say when or by whom the name was first revealed.
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