Post by Salem6 on Nov 8, 2003 13:42:01 GMT
Terrorists may be planning to hijack cargo planes overseas and crash them into targets in America, say the authorities in Washington.
The warning has come from a single source, and is not yet corroborated, but US officials are taking it seriously.
California's Golden Gate Bridge... a potential terrorist target
Local and state authorities - and those responsible for safety at nuclear plants, bridges and dams - have been warned of the potential threat.
It comes as US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia were closed following "credible evidence" of a threat.
The US is also warning its journalists in Afghanistan that Taleban insurgents may be planning to kidnap them in order to put pressure on America to release prisoners.
"The US intelligence community remains concerned about al-Qaeda's interest in carrying out attacks on us overseas," said Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.
Yellow alert
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told American media on Friday that a single source from overseas had warned of plans to seize cargo planes.
"It has not yet been corroborated," said one. "We're in the process of trying to corroborate this information.
"We also remain concerned about threats to the aviation industry and the use of cargo planes to carry out attacks on critical infrastructure".
Both the Homeland Security and the FBI posted an advisory to local and state authorities, and to officials at nuclear plants, bridges and dams.
Mr Roehrkasse said the colour-coded terror alert would remain at yellow - the middle level of the scale, which indicates an elevated risk of terrorist attack.
In Riyadh, the US embassy said it had "credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom."
The statement said: "The embassy strongly urges all American citizens in the kingdom to be especially vigilant when in any area that is perceived to be American or Western."
'Extremely wary'
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said fears of an imminent attack in the kingdom meant it was "prudent... to warn Americans and to close our operations for a review."
Missions in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran were closed on Saturday.
Western interests have been previously targeted in Saudi Arabia
"We will take it day by day," said a US embassy official when asked when the operations would re-open.
US nationals in Saudi Arabia say they have been on a high state of alert since May, when 35 people were killed in suicide attacks on a Western compound in Riyadh.
"We're very much on guard, very much aware of what's going on. I'm extremely wary," David Castillo, vice-president of a telecoms company in Saudi Arabia, told Reuters news agency.
Britain, Canada and Australia last month issued similar alerts, which angered Saudi officials, who say they have made important strides in fighting terror inside the country.
Terrorist funding
Saudi police in Mecca recently uncovered a suspected al-Qaeda cell believed to be planning attacks.
On Thursday, two suspected members of the cell blew themselves up apparently to avoid arrest, while a third suspect was shot dead by security forces in Riyadh.
The US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with a London-based Saudi newspaper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, said he thought the Saudi authorities could do more to combat terror.
Saudi Arabia could make greater efforts in pursuing the sources of terrorist funding, he told the newspaper.
The warning has come from a single source, and is not yet corroborated, but US officials are taking it seriously.
California's Golden Gate Bridge... a potential terrorist target
Local and state authorities - and those responsible for safety at nuclear plants, bridges and dams - have been warned of the potential threat.
It comes as US diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia were closed following "credible evidence" of a threat.
The US is also warning its journalists in Afghanistan that Taleban insurgents may be planning to kidnap them in order to put pressure on America to release prisoners.
"The US intelligence community remains concerned about al-Qaeda's interest in carrying out attacks on us overseas," said Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.
Yellow alert
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told American media on Friday that a single source from overseas had warned of plans to seize cargo planes.
"It has not yet been corroborated," said one. "We're in the process of trying to corroborate this information.
"We also remain concerned about threats to the aviation industry and the use of cargo planes to carry out attacks on critical infrastructure".
Both the Homeland Security and the FBI posted an advisory to local and state authorities, and to officials at nuclear plants, bridges and dams.
Mr Roehrkasse said the colour-coded terror alert would remain at yellow - the middle level of the scale, which indicates an elevated risk of terrorist attack.
In Riyadh, the US embassy said it had "credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom."
The statement said: "The embassy strongly urges all American citizens in the kingdom to be especially vigilant when in any area that is perceived to be American or Western."
'Extremely wary'
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said fears of an imminent attack in the kingdom meant it was "prudent... to warn Americans and to close our operations for a review."
Missions in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran were closed on Saturday.
Western interests have been previously targeted in Saudi Arabia
"We will take it day by day," said a US embassy official when asked when the operations would re-open.
US nationals in Saudi Arabia say they have been on a high state of alert since May, when 35 people were killed in suicide attacks on a Western compound in Riyadh.
"We're very much on guard, very much aware of what's going on. I'm extremely wary," David Castillo, vice-president of a telecoms company in Saudi Arabia, told Reuters news agency.
Britain, Canada and Australia last month issued similar alerts, which angered Saudi officials, who say they have made important strides in fighting terror inside the country.
Terrorist funding
Saudi police in Mecca recently uncovered a suspected al-Qaeda cell believed to be planning attacks.
On Thursday, two suspected members of the cell blew themselves up apparently to avoid arrest, while a third suspect was shot dead by security forces in Riyadh.
The US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with a London-based Saudi newspaper Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat, said he thought the Saudi authorities could do more to combat terror.
Saudi Arabia could make greater efforts in pursuing the sources of terrorist funding, he told the newspaper.