The U.S. has issued a warning about a possible al-Qaida aerial attack on the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, Reuters reports.
An advisory from the Department of Homeland Security warns pilots and airports the terrorist network was in the final stages of planning the attack.
“Recent reliable reporting indicates that al-Qaida was in the late stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the U.S. Consulate in Karachi,” the advisory dated yesterday said, according to Reuters.
“Operatives were planning to pack a small fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter with explosives and crash it into the consulate.”
The information was based on an analysis from the new Terrorist Integration Center, which opened just yesterday.
“This plot and a similar plot last year to fly a small explosive-laden aircraft into a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf demonstrate al-Qaida’s continued fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft in attacks,” the DHS advisory said.
According to the Reuters report, a spokeswoman at the Department of Homeland Security said the warning in part was meant to alert people in the aviation industry to beware of suspicious attempts to charter small planes.
Meanwhile, Reuters also reports a renewed travel warning issued for Saudi Arabia is based on “credible” information gathered by U.S. intelligence that al-Qaida is planning attacks on American targets inside the kingdom.
“It is certainly credible,” an unidentified official told Reuters. According to the report, the information was not specific about when, other than soon, where or how the attack would be carried out.
“The fact that they are trying to do something is solid,” the official told Reuters. “They want to hit targets that are important to Americans.”
Yesterday, the U.S. State Department renewed a travel advisory for Saudi Arabia: “Information indicates that terrorist groups may be in the final phases of planning attacks against U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia.”
An American civilian working for a contractor to Saudi Arabia’s navy was shot at a naval base there yesterday. The man is said to be in good condition, according to Arab News. No motive for the attack has been reported.
