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Mistaken cia analysis triggered 2003 alert Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-06-28T013928Z_01_SPI805950_RTRUKOC_0_SECURITY-CIA-ALERT.xml http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-06-28T013928Z_01_SPI805950_RTRUKOC_0_SECURITY-CIA-ALERT.xml Mistaken CIA analysis triggered 2003 alert -NBC Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:39 AM BST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. terror alert in late 2003 that interrupted some 30 overseas flights was triggered by a CIA analysis of what were thought to be hidden messages broadcast on Al Jazeera TV, NBC Nightly News said on Monday. CIA analysts mistakenly thought they had found secret al Qaeda messages embedded in the crawl on the Arabic news channel, but the analysis turned out to be wrong, NBC reported, citing senior U.S. officials. According to the report, CIA experts thought they found numbers signaling upcoming attacks hidden in the information that scrolled across the screen. "Dates and flight numbers, geographic coordinates for targets, including the White House, Seattle's Space Needle, even the tiny town of Tappahanock, Virginia," the report said. NBC said the CIA would neither confirm nor deny the report, but said it is the "agency's job to run all plausible theories to the ground, especially when American lives could be at risk." NBC said the alleged threats were found through steganalysis, using sophisticated software to analyze images for hidden messages. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge was briefed on the analysis and was asked whether he considered it to be "a little bit bizarre. "Bizarre, unique, unorthodox, unprecedented. Speaking for myself, I've got to admit to wondering whether or not it was credible," Ridge told NBC. But Ridge said the possibility of hidden messages could not be discounted, given other intelligence chatter and an attack on Saudi Arabia. Asked whether in retrospect it was a mistake to raise the alert level based on the analysis, Ridge said, "No." "We informed a lot of people and we acted accordingly based on our best information and best conclusions and the information that we had at the time." A CIA spokeswoman referred a call seeking comment to the National CounterTerrorism Center. Spokesmen for the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security could not be reached for comment.

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2003 christmas alert caused by aljazeera crawl { June 27 2005 } Alerts used to mute criticism { May 22 2002 } Australia denies terror threat coincidence { November 2 2005 } Bush claims he foiled 10 alqaeda attacks { October 7 2005 } Cannes documentary says terror fears exaggerated Commission says next terror attack inevitable Death from road accidents 390 times terrorism Detain sympathisers { March 19 2003 } Fbi manufacters hysterics { January 4 2003 } Gop memo cites more terror for rally cry Government terror alerts benefit terrorists and government { September 6 2006 } Hizballah moving up threat chart Inflated terror cases { February 21 2003 } Lone extremists { February 24 2003 } Mistaken cia analysis triggered 2003 alert Super flu { November 2 2002 } Terror alert skepticism cited { May 4 2005 } Terror supplies { October 17 2002 } Terrorism doesnt warrant fear says report Truth about wmd US air security alert to red for first time { July 2006 } Files Listed: 21

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