"Techniques that took years to develop are now ineffective and worthless," said Rita Katz, the firm's 44-year-old founder, who has garnered wide attention by publicizing statements and videos from extremist chat rooms and Web sites, while attracting controversy over the secrecy of SITE's methodology. Her firm provides intelligence about terrorist groups to a wide range of paying clients, including private firms and military and intelligence agencies from the United States and several other countries.
The precise source of the leak remains unknown. Government officials declined to be interviewed about the circumstances on the record, but they did not challenge Katz's version of events. They also said the incident had no effect on U.S. intelligence-gathering efforts and did not diminish the government's ability to anticipate attacks.
From The Blotter:
Katz told the Post she had obtained an early copy of the latest Osama bin Laden video last month, the first to be released in three years. Katz says she sent the link to the video to the White House under the condition that they not release it until al Qaeda's media wing officially released the video, but that insiders leaked the transcript and video to various media outlets. Katz claims this leak revealed to al Qaeda how Katz was able to obtain an early copy.
[...]
Others, however, say that in order to monitor these communication networks effectively, they are constantly adapting and modifying their techniques.
Like Katz, Laura Mansfield, a pseudonym she uses for security reasons, also monitors extreme Islamist forums and Internet traffic looking for propaganda videos that are often released by al Qaeda's media wing, As Sahab and others. Mansfield says that despite the recent video leak, she still has access to the material.
"It's a cat-and-mouse game," said Mansfield. "They know we're watching them so they move around. I'm reprogramming my search tools at least once a week."
I have often said that leaking sensitive information makes us vulnerable to attacks and that is still my position.
It does seem that this particular bandwagon, led by Wapo, was missing some important facts.
Enter The Jawa Report:
So, SITE claims they are the source of the video given to the White House. Rita claims she personally gave the video to authorities on September 7th. But let's take a quick look at the very bottom of the translation of the video leaked by ABC's Blotter:
He then shows the picture of what was at the bottom of The Blotter's report.
Read the rest...
In fact read the whole Wapo article, while full of innuendo, which the left once again has jumped on, the article leaves us many questions, yet very few answers, which doesn't stop them from implying that it is all Bush's fault.
Then again, every time they stub their toe, that is Bush's fault too.
No one actually knows who leaked the video, although accusations against "Bush" from the Blame Bush crowd are running fast and furious with it.
Then again,waiting for the actual "facts" isn't their strong suit these days, is it?
Since The Blotter broke the story on the 6th, and the video wasn't handed to the White House, according to Wapo, until the 7th..... wouldn't The Blotter be in a better position to know who leaked what and when?
Just asking.
Tracked back by:
Leaking National Security - Where are the Plumbers? from StormWarning's Counterterrorism...
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