http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/26/world/middleeast/iraqi-leader-says-isis-militants-plotted-against-subways.html 2014-09-25 20:00:59 Iraqi Leader Says ISIS Militants Plotted Against Subways The Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, said Islamic State fighters seized in Iraq had spoken of plots to bomb subways in Europe and the United States. === Iraq’s prime minister said on Thursday that his government had gathered intelligence from captured militants indicating that the Islamic State was planning to attack targets in Europe and the United States, including subways. The prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, said that the plotting was being carried out by foreign fighters who had joined the Islamic State’s offensive in Iraq. He said that he had been informed of the information on Thursday morning and that Iraq was sharing it with the United States. “From the details I have received, yes, it looks credible,” Mr. Abadi told a group of reporters. “Today, while I am here, I am receiving accurate reports from Baghdad,” said Mr. Abadi, adding that they came following the “arrest of a few elements.” “There are networks planning from Inside Iraq to have attacks, he said. “They plan to have attacks on the metros of Paris and the U.S.” A senior administration official said that the United States had no information at this point to confirm such a plot and would look into the Iraqi intelligence. “We have yet to see specific plotting, but the notion that they might have aspirations to utilize foreign fighters has been our principal concern as relates to Western countries,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity concerning intelligence matters. Mr. Abadi also said that he had conveyed a message to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria before the American-led air attacks there that the scope of the bombing would be limited to Islamic State targets and would not extend to targets connected to Mr. Assad’s government. “As a neighbor, I don’t want to be party to the disintegration of Syria or to have diminished sovereignty of Syria,” Mr. Abadi said. “So I find it fit to send my adviser to inform the Syria regime this is our vision, this is our aim, they should not misunderstand it.” Mr. Abadi said that Obama administration had informed the Iraqi government that the goal of the airstrikes was not to destabilize the Assad government, and that Iraqi had passed this message to the Syrian government as well. “We have been given that message by the Americans,” Mr. Abadi said, “although we just relay a message without any comment.” The Obama administration has said it has notified Mr. Assad’s government of its intention to bomb Islamic militant targets in northern Syria, but has said nothing about having offered other assurances to Mr. Assad. A senior administration official would not comment directly on Mr. Abadi’s comments regarding Mr. Assad. But he said the purpose of the United States’ own message to the Assad government was to dissuade it from taking military action to interfere with the bombing.