newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ADELE SAMMARCO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The U.S. Intelligence community has now launched its own investigation into classified information that was leaked about the Saudi Arabian double agent whose cover was blown after a plot to blow up another U.S. airliner was exposed.

Officials say because of the leak, future spy operations could now be compromised and fear it may discourage foreign intelligence services from cooperating with the United States on other risky missions.

The Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Representative Peter T. King, said he was told government officials planned to investigate the source of the original leak.

“We are talking about compromising methods and sources and causing our partners to be leery about working with us,” said Congressman King, according to the New York Times. “It was one of the most tightly held operations I’ve seen in my years in the House.”

Saudi intelligence placed the ‘would-be’ suicide bomber in Yemen inside the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) terrorist group with a directive to blow up a United States-bound plane.

The Saudi agent actually volunteered for the mission.

Law enforcement officials say the double agent left Yemen last month, traveling through the United Arab Emirates, and delivered the miniature bomb that was concealed inside a pair of underwear. He also concealed inside information on al Qaeda leaders, their locations, their planned method of operations as well as other terrorist directives for the Central Intelligence Agency, Saudi intelligence and allied foreign intelligence agencies.

On Wednesday, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified on Capital Hill, urging Congress to renew wide-ranging surveillance authority to thwart terrorism plots like this latest foiled plan.

Officials say the agent, whose identity will not be disclosed, worked for the Saudi intelligence service, has cooperated for years with the C.I.A. against AQAP and operated with the full acknowledgement of the C.I.A., yet did not work under its direct supervision.

The intelligence agent provided critical information that helped the C.I.A. conduct the drone strike on Sunday that killed Fahd Mohammed al Quso, AQAP's external operations director and suspect in the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, an American destroyer, stationed in Yemen.

The undercover agent handed over the bomb, created by AQAP top explosives expert who designed the device to be undetectable by airport security.

The plot was kept secret for weeks by the C.I.A. and other agencies because they feared retaliation against the agent and his family, who are in hiding at this time in a safe, undisclosed location.

Intelligence officials believe the explosive is the latest effort of the group’s expert bombmaker, Ibrahim Hassan al-Asiri, who is also believed to have designed the explosive used in the failed bombing attempt on an airliner flying over Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009.