cwatters Quote:Why the hell would the tracking number be useful in an operational sense?
Perhaps to help find the IP address of the computers used to track the packages on-line?
^ I am sorry if I didn't make myself clear:
Remember,
Saudi Arabia broke the news of the plot, revealing the actual PACKAGE TRACKING NUMBERS
My question was, why would they (terrorists) need to link themselves to the payload by having themselves associated in anyway with something as identifiably unique as a TRACKING NUMBER, THAT ONLY THE ACTUAL TERRORIST WOULD HAVE??
If *I* was the terrorist, I would love to have the tracking numbers - to see that my stooge actually SENT the package (I would have someone else log on to Fed Ex/UPS and track it) from a tradecraft perspective however, I would not. I dont NEED to have them - I'll just watch the news for signs of boom.
The point I was trying to make was, having the actual tracking numbers means someone very very intimately involved in the EXECUTION phase, i.e. trigger man, bomb delivery guy etc.
This is supported by articles on IntelligenceOnline.com and other sources suggesting that Saudi Arabia has been actively infiltrating groups (Kinda like the FBI and the civil rights movement) So their man, blew the news when he was supposed to, after playing the game all the way up to delivery.
So in short, their man, went along, did what he was supposed to do, then sent the tracking number(s) to his handlers to allow a photo-op interception, burnishing the bona-fides of our Saudi allies.
Rgbrock... you may be reading too much into or giving these guys too much credit.
Besides, why expend valuable resources on a 'fact finding mission'?
Real bombs are relatively cheap - resources to deliver them are not.
You can 'test' just as well with a real bomb as a fake one.
This smells more like a cultured 'sting' operation with the trap sprung around budget/election time.