May 26, 2004

WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials received "several" credible reports that terrorist groups like Al Qaeda may be planning an attack during one of the major events scheduled for this summer, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday.

Photo: Officer Aaron Brodsky of the Capitol Police guards the Capitol Building, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2003 in Washington. (AP Photo/Lauren Burke)

Ridge told Fox News a "couple" of the reports were "deemed credible that Al Qaeda would like to attack." And he said the threat "is one we take very seriously" although he offered no specific information offered about it.

Later Wednesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller will hold a 2 p.m. EDT news conference to outline an intensive effort by law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security officials to detect and disrupt any potential plots. Pictures of certain individuals the FBI is looking for will be distributed.

The FBI also plans to dispatch a bulletin to some 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies warning of the threat.

Counterterrorism and law enforcement officials earlier told Fox News that there is "significant concern" of the threat, particularly after a think tank study revealed that despite the elimination of several key figures, Al Qaeda (search) still has a functioning leadership, over 18,000 potential terrorists in its global network and a swelling membership thanks to the war in Iraq.

The intelligence was described Tuesday by another senior counterterrorism official as extremely credible and backed by an unusually high level of corroboration.

The intelligence does not include a time, place or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the Al Qaeda attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the official said.

"There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard," said another senior federal counterterrorism official, who described the intelligence as highly credible.

However, officials said the threat level would not be immediately be raised from yellow, or elevated, to orange, or high. The threat level has been at yellow -- midpoint on the five-color scale -- since January.

"Every single day, we operate as if there are terrorists within the United States … we cannot forget that we are an open and diverse and welcoming country," Ridge said, adding that 5-6 million people cross into the United States every year.

"It would be foolish to think there may not be terrorist cells that already exist within the United States … On a day to day basis, it's our job to be smarter and to use our people and technology to increase security around the country," Ridge continued. "We don't need to raise the threat level to do that. That's our job 24-7."


Ridge said people will see an increase in security for a variety of events this summer.

Dealing With the Threat

The FBI has already created a special task force to deal with the summer's threat. The task force is intended to ensure that no valuable bits of information or intelligence fall through the cracks -- as happened repeatedly before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Other actions to be taken include new FBI interviews with people who may have provided valuable information in the past and a fresh examination of older investigative leads to determine if they might point to elements of the summer plot.

Counterterrorism officials said the concern is based on recent "source work" including intercepted communications, and the FBI will be working with law enforcement partners and the Joint Terrorism Task Forces to assess information that is coming in.

"We will be reviewing every lead we've had for the past year to see if taken in today's light it means something different," one counterterrorism official said.

Retired Lt. Gen. Patrick Hughes, the top intelligence official at the Homeland Security Department, warned earlier this month Al Qaeda may be planning to strike the United States with a chemical or biological weapon.

"If the past is indeed prologue, then we are going to screw up, or they are going to get lucky," Hughes said. "I can't sleep."

Summer Packed With High-Profile Events

Beginning with Saturday's dedication of the new World War II Memorial in Washington, the summer presents a number of high-profile targets in the United States. They include the G-8 summit in Georgia next month, the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July and the Republican National Convention in August in New York.

The FBI and DHS also are concerned about so-called soft targets such as shopping malls anywhere in the United States.

U.S. authorities repeatedly have said Al Qaeda is determined to mount an attack on U.S. soil, in part to show that it remains capable of doing so despite the money and effort that has gone into homeland security in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

There also is concern terrorists might try to mount an attack to coincide with the November election.

The FBI has warned in the past that Islamic extremist groups may attempt to recruit non-Middle Easterners or women for attacks because they would be less likely to arouse suspicion.

Special security attention already is being focused to the nation's rail, subway and bus lines. The FBI last week sent out an intelligence bulletin to law enforcement agencies urging vigilance against suicide bombers, who have been used by terror groups worldwide to devastating effect but not so far in the United States.

Separately, Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Michael Garcia told reporters Tuesday that some 2,300 of its agents are being deployed to assist in security for the high-profile events scheduled this summer. These include as many as 20 agents each day working with the Secret Service to protect the campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate.

Garcia said his agency also is working to "tighten the investigative system" to ensure that terrorists do not enter the United States by way of human smuggling operations or through the vast, largely unprotected border with Canada.

Law enforcement officials in the nation's two largest cities said they were prepared.

Los Angeles police held a news conference Tuesday to reassure the public. "We would be foolhardy to ignore those statements, but I think it would be irresponsible to panic," said John Miller, head of the LAPD counterterrorism bureau.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said city officials have not been advised that terrorists are plotting an attack there.

"We are receiving highly sensitive intelligence information on a regular basis, including today, and there is nothing in that reporting to indicate a specific threat or looming attack against New York City," Kelly said in a statement.

Fox News' Anna Stolley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,120956,00.html