Citing “chatter” picked up by the intelligence community, the Homeland Security Department, in consultation with the Homeland Security Council, raised the terror-alert level to orange or “high” today.
Simultaneously, the FBI issued a new warning to local law-enforcement officials to be on the alert for a possible al-Qaida terrorist attack within the United States.
The FBI bulletin said last week’s terror attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco “may be a prelude to another attack in the United States.”
The agency emphasized it had no specific information about a planned attack or target. The bulletin is described as a continuation of an alert issued Friday.
“The May 12 bombings in Saudi Arabia indicate that the al-Qaida network remains active and highly capable,” the FBI said in Friday’s bulletin. “The U.S. intelligence community assesses that attacks against U.S. and Western targets overseas are likely; attacks in the United States cannot be ruled out.”
Secretary of State Colin Powell said the Riyadh attacks bore the “earmarks” of al-Qaida and Saudi officials also fingered Osama bin Laden’s terror network.
“There is a legitimate cause for concern,” a U.S. official told Fox News. The official described the “chatter,” or intercepts, as coming from a number of “quality sources” and said the information is more solid than that which led to raising the terror level in the past.
Another official described the “chatter” to CNN as “reasonably spooky stuff.”
ABC News reports the decision to increase the threat level was made in part due to a series of threatening Internet e-mails intercepted by the intelligence community. According to an FBI bulletin obtained by ABC, the messages warned of “a possible devastating attack in the next 48 hours and urged all Muslims to leave all cities, especially Boston, New York and the commercial coastline.”
Also today, the State Department closed its embassy in Riyadh and its consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran amid fears of imminent attacks.
The United Kingdom and Germany announced plans to follow suit.
The decision to raise the terror-threat level came out of a meeting between Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, President George W. Bush and members of the Homeland Security Council at the White House this afternoon.
Under-Secretary for Homeland Security Asa Hutchinson told reporters at a news conference the intention is to alert local and state law-enforcement agencies to implement security measures and employ additional police forces.
Hutchinson advised the American public to be alert and vigilant, but continue with plans for work and leisure.
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The five-point color scale of risk was developed after the 9-11 attacks. The highest alert level is red. It represents a “severe” level of risk.
As WorldNetDaily reported, the Homeland Security Department last raised the terror-threat assessment to high following Bush’s ultimatum to Saddam Hussein on March 18, as the intelligence community expected terrorists would attempt multiple attacks against U.S. and coalition targets worldwide in the event of a U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq.
“Al-Qaida may be in the last stages of planning for large-scale attacks,” officials warned in March. “There are many recent indications this planning includes the use of chemical, biological, and/or radiological materials.”
Following the collapse of Hussein’s regime, officials lowered the threat advisory level back down to an “elevated” risk of terrorist attack, or the yellow level on April 16.
The threat condition designation alert was raised to “orange” two other times, including on Feb. 7 when Attorney General John Ashcroft cited reports that al-Qaida leaders were planning for attacks on apartment buildings, hotels, synagogues, Jewish community centers and other “soft” or lightly guarded targets.
Earlier today, Ridge told members of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security that the country is “significantly safer” than it was 20 months ago because the nation is more “aware of the threat of terrorism and much more vigilant about confronting it.”
“This is not the end; it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning,” said Ridge, quoting Winston Churchill in his testimony.
Ridge asked the congressional members for their support of Bush’s $36.2 billion budget request for the Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2004.
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