NewsMax.com
Thursday, Oct. 18, 2001

The advisory prompts concerns about whether the Russian government knows of more terrorist attacks planned against America.

Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev has postponed a U.S. speaking tour at the urging of President Putin's office, citing security concerns, the Palm Beach Post reported Wednesday.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin apparently is prohibiting nearly all government officials from flying to the United States during the next three weeks," the Omaha World-Herald said Oct. 10.

Omaha is another city where Gorbachev has canceled a planned speaking engagement.

NewsMax.com's Russia expert Col. Stanislav Lunev told us: "It's very interesting and could mean that Russian intelligence received information about new terrorist attacks against America, which could come anytime soon and include attacks against U.S. civilian airplanes as well as Americans in the areas which could be visited by Russian and other officials.

Lunev, the highest-ranking spy ever to defect from Russia's GRU Directorate (military intelligence), noted that Putin promised, in the aftermath of Sept. 11, to fully cooperate with the U.S.

The advisory suggests, Lunev said, that Putin may have information not being shared with the U.S. government. His advisory also undermines international confidence in the U.S.

A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington told the Post he had no idea why Gorbachev's visits were canceled.

Cities on the itinerary included West Palm Beach -- near the anthrax infections at American Media Inc. in Boca Raton -- and Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.

Gorbachev's booking agents in New York City tried but could not persuade him to go ahead with the trip, the World-Herald said.

Lunev noted that the idea Russia has advanced, significant knowledge of terrorist acts should come as no surprise. Russia has been the key backer for almost all nations identified by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iraq, Iran, Libya and Syria.

Reports in several papers have already tied bin Laden's network to Russian "mafia" groups. Lunev believes that such groups are merely fronts for Russian intelligence agencies.

Another indication of Russia's knowledge of terrorist acts was the Pravda report this July revealing the prediction of a key economic adviser in Putin's circle who claimed the U.S. economy would collapse after a "financial attack."

After Sept. 11, the same adviser warned of new and unusual attacks that would further weaken the U.S. economy.

"One more point," stated Lunev. "According to the Russian press -- ORT channel on Oct. 16 -- limited acts of bioterrorism in the U.S. could be considered as a field test of anthrax’s combat use by terrorists, who began their preparations for a massive attack against America using biological weapons.

"They will learn lessons from the present field test and could use anthrax and other weapons of mass destruction in the U.S. ORT also didn't exclude the possibility that terrorists are using anthrax because they do not have any other biological weapons in their arsenal, as well as because practical use of anthrax is the simplest technically."

The Soviet Union produced hundreds of tons of anthrax at its sprawling biological weapons plants, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Gorbachev told CNN the same day: "I would like to refer to today's statement by Russian officials, the minister of public health and another official in charge of chemical weapons -- it's very important what they both said -- that there are no programs for the development of biological weapons in Russia. There is only research for medical purposes."

Gorbachev also said he hoped that from the present crisis a "new, international world order" would be created.

Editor's note: Col. Stanislav Lunev, Russia's highest-ranking military defector, gives new details of Russia's links to terrorists and the nations that support them, in "CIA Files." To find out more, CLICK HERE.

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Bioterrorism
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