The government on Sunday raised the national threat level to orange, indicating a high risk of terrorist attack, and said threat indicators are “perhaps greater now than at any point” since Sept. 11, 2001, with strikes possible during the holidays.
Americans were promised “extensive and considerable protections” around the country and told to stick to their travel plans despite intelligence indicating the Al Qaeda terrorist network is seeking again to use planes as weapons and exploit suspected weakness in U.S. aviation security.
Some of the intelligence information gathered in the past few days suggests that “extremists abroad” are anticipating attacks that will rival or exceed the scope of those of Sept. 11, Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge said.
He also said officials did not see a connection between last weekend’s capture of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and the heightened security alert.
The threat information comes from multiple, credible sources but officials are unaware of a specific target or means of attack, added a senior law enforcement official.
Some of the intercepted communications and other intelligence mentions New York, Washington and unspecified cities on the West Coast, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Authorities also are concerned about dams, bridges, nuclear plants, chemical facilities and other public works.
Thousands of state and local law enforcement agencies have received an FBI advisory urging special notice of sites that could be a conceivable target and potential security upgrades, the official said.
In addition, Ridge has contacted his counterparts in Canada and Mexico about increasing border security.
At a hastily arranged news conference at department headquarters, Ridge said credible intelligence sources “suggest the possibility of attacks against the homeland around the holiday season and beyond.
“The strategic indicators, including Al Qaeda’s continued desire to carry out attacks against our homeland, are perhaps greater now than at any point since Sept. 11,” he said.
The alert level had stood at yellow, an elevated risk and in the middle of the five-color scale, since May.
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What it means
– More random vehicle inspections and law enforcement at airports, perimeters.
– More officers with dogs at airports.
– Parking restrictions.
– The possibility of long security check-in lines, especially during the holidays.
– To help keep the lines moving, passengers should remove metal items from their pockets and put them in carry-on luggage, take laptop computers out of luggage for inspection, take off coats, and be prepared to take off shoes.
ASSOCIATED PRESS.
