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Over the past year, several terror attacks in the U.S. have either failed or been foiled, including the botched attempts to bring down a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day and to set off a bomb in New York's Time Square. "They've let other people take the lead on attacking the West," said Hoekstra, adding that bin Laden may now be thinking, "these guys can't do it, we've got to become more involved again." Bin Laden's presumed role in the European plot was first reported by NPR. One senior U.S. official, meanwhile, discounted any involvement in the Europe terror plot by al-Qaida's North African affiliate. While al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb is dangerous in its region and may want to export its terror operations to Europe, there are no indications that it is able to do that at this time, said the official. A Pakistani intelligence official said Thursday that eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of the European terror plot, which is still in its early stages. One of the Britons was killed in a recent CIA missile strike, he said. Pakistan, Britain and Germany are tracking the suspects and intercepting their phone calls, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to the media. U.S. officials have pressed Pakistan to increase its efforts to root out the militants hiding in the mountainous border region. The U.S. has dramatically stepped up its missile attacks in North Waziristan, and is believed to have launched at least 21 this month. The covert campaign is largely carried out by CIA drones and has led to the deaths of a number of top militant leaders. Pakistan has complained vocally about the program but is believed to provide intelligence assistance for at least some of the strikes.
[Associated
Press;
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