An al Qaeda plot that was leaked to the media caused more damage to U.S. counterterrorism efforts than Edward Snowden's relevations, according to Monday's The New York Times. Counterterrorism agents have been scrambling to recover since reports in August that the U.S. had intercepted messages between two high-ranking al Qaeda members and leaked details of an upcoming terror plot. Although many intelligence officials had feared that leaks by Edward Snowden about the NSA’s surveillance gathering would hamper counterterrorism efforts, al Qaeda officials mainly discussed that case via their same communication channels.
