Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, approved the terror plans that led U.S. officials to raise the threat level and heighten security through the holidays, intelligence officials told NBC News.
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According to the report, U.S. intelligence has gathered details about the attack plans, which they say include al-Qaida operatives hijacking foreign airliners and flying them into targets in the U.S. The information even includes some specific flight numbers.
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The Pentagon says it is stepping up air patrols across the nation. In addition, NBC reports, federal air marshals, who usually fly only on domestic flights, are now boarding international airlines with flights into certain domestic airports, including Newark International Airport in New Jersey.
The intelligence indicates Tappahannock, Va., a tiny town of 2,016 people, is one of al-Qaida's potential targets. Such an attack would be intended to create widespread fear that no one was safe, even in small towns, NBC reports the officials as saying.
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"Just remember that al-Qaida is not just looking to kill as many Americans as possible. They're looking to seriously hurt our nation's economy," terrorism specialist Roger Cressey, former chief of staff of the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, told the network.
In addition to big cities, al-Qaida reportedly has targeted Las Vegas, the officials told NBC, because of its economic value as the nation's No. 2 vacation destination and as home to large conventions and trade shows beginning next month.
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Other possible targets include important infrastructure facilities, such as nuclear power plants and dams.
The officials also said it is feared al-Qaida may use a radiological weapon, or so-called "dirty bomb," to attack a large number of people and spread radiation over a specific area.
"The point of a dirty bomb is not mass casualties," Cressey told the network. "It's much more to instill fear and panic into the general population."
Since the terror-threat level was moved to "high," or orange on Sunday, government agencies have increased security at airports, border crossings and ports, said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who urged Americans yesterday not to disrupt their holiday travel plans.
As WorldNetDaily reported, intelligence reports indicate bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are in Iran, near the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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