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Al-Qaida to target U.S. oil, gas suppliers 
Calls for terrorist strikes on Canadian sources to 'choke' American economy

Al-Qaida has called for terrorist strikes against Canadian oil and natural gas facilities to "choke the U.S. economy."

An online message, posted Tuesday by the Al-Qaida Organization in the Arabian Peninsula, declares "we should strike petroleum interests in all areas which supply the United States ... like Canada," the No. 1 exporter of oil and gas to the U.S.

"The biggest party hurt will be the industrial nations, and on top (of) them, the United States."

The same group, the Saudi arm of Osama bin Laden's terrorist network, claimed responsibility for last February's attack on the world's largest oil processing facility at Abqaiq in Saudi Arabia's eastern province.

The attack was foiled when guards at the site opened fire on the terrorists, blowing up their vehicles filled with explosives before they could get through the gates.

The message is contained in Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad), the group's online magazine.

A feature article, entitled "Bin Laden's Oil Weapon," encourages operatives to continue to follow earlier directives from bin Laden to strike oil targets not only in Saudi Arabia, but elsewhere, according to a translation by the SITE Institute, a non-profit U.S. group that monitors terrorist Web sites.

Three western countries are mentioned in the call-to-arms. Canada is listed first, followed by Mexico and Venezuela. Would-be attackers are instructed to specifically target oilfields, pipelines, loading platforms, and carriers.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Tuesday it was aware of the posting, as is Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada.

"Do we think it's a serious threat? I can't get into that," said CSIS spokeswoman Barbara Campion.

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said his province is working closely with "the federal government and the American government ... to have the most modern tracking system in terms of threat and, of course, monitoring and also surveillance of all the critical infrastructure in Alberta when it comes to oil and gas.

"I didn't know that Osama bin Laden knows where I am, but infrastructure is critical and that's where we'll be protecting it," Stelmach added.

Greg Stringham, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said the threat is similar to a posting made about a year ago, when an al-Qaida- affiliated Internet blog called on Canadian and U.S. jihadists to attack an Alaskan oil pipeline.

The new posting is "not singling out Canada, it specifically mentions Canada, but along with some other countries that are suppliers to the U.S," he said.

"It's not the first time that it's happened and we have no credible threat to substantiate it ... but still we are taking it seriously and we've informed all of our members and contacts about that -- especially those with critical infrastructure -- to pay extra attention and be vigilant."

The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board knew about the threat the day it appeared online thanks to information from Canadian intelligence agencies, said spokesman Darin Barter.

"We're aware of this," he said Tuesday, adding the warning wasn't significant enough to warrant raising the threat level.

"There was no evidence that pointed to any imminent or direct threat to Alberta infrastructure."

Alberta sites deemed "critical infrastructure" are forced to have plans guarding against a terrorist attack.

Barter wouldn't list those specific sites, though they include an oilsands mine, electrical transmission lines, a pipeline, petrochemical plant, refinery, and facilities for processing gas or oilsands products and generating electricity.

Experts have long considered the U.S. dependence on foreign oil -- and al-Qaida's evolving strategy to attempt to deny the U.S. access to its major oil suppliers -- as the country's Achilles heel.

A major supply disruption would send energy prices soaring. Had the Abqaiq attack been successful, some experts say oil prices would've likely broken all records. A catastrophic hit could bring transportation and other parts of the U.S. and other world economies to a standstill.

"We should strike petroleum interests in all areas which supply the United States, and not only in the Middle East, because the target is to stop its imports or decrease it by all means," says the article.

"We should not be overly concerned at this exact moment. Al-Qaida as an organization has been severely weakened," said Tom Quiggan, a senior fellow at the Center of Excellence for National Security at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University.

The posting appears to be "intended to send a message to its followers that they should consider a wider set of targets that just those in the Middle East," he said.

It also is "an operational suggestion to the 'homegrown jihadists' and independent groups that follow the inspiration message of Al-Qaida. To them, it outlines a suggested list of potential new targets. Canada is at the top of that list."

Since 2000, he said, Canada's proven oil reserves have risen from about five billion barrels of oil to more than 180 billion barrels. That puts Canada in the No. 2 position as an oil reserve country, second only to Saudi Arabia and significantly ahead of other states such as Iraq, Kuwait or Iran.

"Sawt al-Jihad has correctly analysed the oil-importing situation of the United States and concluded that it is not just Middle Eastern suppliers that are important," he said.