Aug 1, 2:08 PM (ET)
By JENNIFER C. KERR
Photos: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Officer Jason Wharton patrols Pennyslvania Station, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2004, in New York. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge raised the threat alert level Sunday for the financial sectors in Washington, D.C., New York and northern New Jersey.
At a press conference intended to update Americans about protective measures being put into place in response to threats from Al Qaeda, Ridge said several targets have been specifically threatened: The World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., the Prudential Building in Newark, N.J. and the Citicorp buildings and New York Stock Exchange in New York City.
Ridge said the information came from multiple reports from multiple sources.
"Compared to previous threat reporting, these intelligence reports have provided a level of detail that is very specific. The quality of this intelligence, based on multiple reporting streams in multiple locations, is rarely seen and is alarming in both the amount and specificity of the information," he said.
Officials said that in the last 24 to 36 hours, intelligence operatives have received very specific information showing that Al Qaeda has done very detailed surveillance on targets
It was not immediately known what intelligence was leading the government to consider such action, and Ridge would not give any details about the sources of information, officials suggested that Al Qaeda may possibly use car or truck bombs. New York City Police did not comment on any intelligence, but they urged extra security precautions at various city buildings.
Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Officer Jason Wharton patrols Pennyslvania Station, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2004, in New York. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
Law enforcement officials say that Al Qaeda planned to send terrorists across the Mexican border in to the United States to conduct suicide attacks in the city. The attacks could come between now and Election Day. Republicans are planning their national convention in New York between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2.
New York's status has remained at orange, indicating the second highest risk of terrorist attack, since Sept. 11, 2001, and a change to red would not mean dramatic changes in the city, said a Homeland Security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
A threat on financial institutions could have the impact of depressing stock trades on Wall Street on Monday, allowing terrorists to impact the U.S. economy. Ridge and other sources said Wall Street has made several changes to its security so that it can continue to operate even if it is attacked.
Ridge said that it was up to Mayor Bloomberg to change the entire city's status to red, but right now the threat alert is specific to the financial institutions.
"[New York City officials] will be working particularly with those companies at these locations, taking a look at vulnerabilities ... I don't think [Bloomberg] is necessarily going to take the city up," Ridge said.
Bloomberg and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly are holding a press conference at 4 p.m. EDT. Fox News Channel will carry that conference live. New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey will hold a news conference at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
Prior to Sunday's status change, Washington and the rest of the nation were on yellow alert, or elevated status of risk; that is in the middle of the five-color scale.
A Winding Trail of Terror?
Ridge said the latest warning is not linked to the July arrest in Texas of a Pakistani woman accused of illegally crossing into the United States. Law enforcement accounts indicate she had an altered South African passport along with $7,000 in cash and an airline ticket to New York.
U.S. law enforcement authorities say they believe crime syndicates within the South African government are selling illegal passports for as little as $77 apiece.
The woman, Farida Goolam Mohamed Ahmed, 48, traveled from Johannesburg through Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to London and on to Mexico City. Authorities said she later told them she was smuggled into the United States from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande.
Authorities say Ahmed's name appeared on an FBI watch list and it surfaced during an investigation of an overseas terrorist incident. Homeland Security officials have warned that Al Qaeda could use women and non-Arabs as operatives to avoid detection.
Rep. Solomon Ortiz, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, said "very credible" people told him Ahmed has traveled within the United States more than 250 times.
A senior official at U.S. Border Patrol told Fox News that a culmination of several pieces of information led to the increased threat alert. That included the arrest of Ahmed, but she was not key to the raised alert.
Ahmed's court-appointed attorney said his client is not charged with any terrorist activity and does not have a criminal record. However, she was denied bond on Tuesday.
The U.S.-Mexico border is an area of concern to congressional members as well as U.S. officials. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said in the War on Terror, more efforts are needed to reduce vulnerabilities along the border.
"Some progress has been made under border security, but we haven't implemented" enough measures, Biden said. "We shold be focusing on a line that is clearly drawn here on Earth. They relate to borders, they relate to rails, they relate to 101 nuclear power plants that exist and we're doing woefully little on any of those things."
Biden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Al Qaeda knows all the prime targets it wants to hit in the United States. Ridge has pointed out before that Al Qaeda has to be right or lucky once to carry out an attack, but U.S. officials have a much heavier burden. To prevent an attack, they must be right all the time.
New York City police officials have warned businesses in the city to take extra precautions at work, including checking employee identification cards and updating emergency plans.
It also gave some things to look out for, including unanticipated deliveries or maintenance work, people taking unusual video or photographs, and visitors claiming to be lost or looking disoriented. The warning also said bomb threats may be used to evaluate emergency response time.
Fox News' Kelly Wright and Anna Stolley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,127711,00.html