DHS video confirms details of leaked internal memo on al-Qaeda threat, and more

November 28, 2007 On November 15, 2007, Wikinews reported about an internal United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo, in an exclusive report, detailing the threat of al-Qaeda and Hezbollah to the mainland of the U.S. and U.S. interests abroad.

The authenticity of the 27-page document can now be undeniably confirmed. Wikinews, in another exclusive report, has obtained a DHS video of a recording from the briefing on the report, which is presented by Steven Maebus, a representative for the DHS and ex U.S. army intelligence officer of 21 years. The video also shows the memo projected onto a screen, in nearly 20 slides, so that the attendees of the briefing can see it in detail.

Maebus, who says he is at the briefing "on behalf of his boss Charles Allen," who is the chief intelligence officer and former CIA member of 50 years, talks about "threats to the homeland" and begins to go into detail about alleged foiled terror plots involving bombs, and individuals overseas. The briefing was held on or around the date of October 22, 2007, and the alleged plots and threats not mentioned in the memo, took place within the "past few weeks," says Maebus.

One incident Maebus describes that is not mentioned in the report involves the "arrest of at least two college students in South Carolina that were pulled over by the State Police" for reasons Maebus did not describe. Those arrests lead to more "arrests in Denmark of two individuals plus a couple of others," who, according to Maebus, were "building TATP bombs," which are made from a peroxide in the form of a white powder, that has a primary use as a high explosive.

After the arrests in Denmark, Maebus says that a short time later, several more arrests of four men were made in Germany. They are accused of plotting to blow up U.S. military installations and interests inside Germany. At least 700lbs of the same TATP explosive were confiscated from the men by German authorities. Maebus says the peroxide "was ready to cook off" and be made into "500 kilograms" of material ready to be used for a bomb.

"These threats [and plots] are real, and [there are more] out there," added Maebus.

Maebus also says that there is evidence that "European extremists" are going to Iraq and "learned their trade craft, and then have come out and applied it elsewhere." Maebus claims that these extremists can "take their operations to Europe, or come to the U.S.," but also says there is no "evidence" that they have done this or "are thinking about doing that, but we are very concerned about the potential" of it happening.

Maebus also goes on to claim that there is no evidence that al-Qaeda is responsible for the bombings of oil pipelines and the kidnappings of oil workers in Nigeria, but that al-Qaeda is coming down from the northern part of Africa to get involved with or take over terrorist operations in that country. Maebus does state, however; that al-Qaeda is intent on striking the oil and natural gas infastructure.

Maebus then calls Saudi Arabia a "mess," but that "they [the Saudi government] are aware of that, and are trying to clean it up."