As some may recall, earlier in November MEMRI posted some comments about the increasing threats for an upcoming terrorist actions against US cities.
Well, it appears DHS has finally raised the alert level in response to that threat.
Terror Threat Level Raised to Orange
By John Mintz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 21, 2003; 6:00 PM
The federal government said today that fresh intelligence suggests al Qaeda is planning multiple catastrophic terrorist attacks in the United States, and raised the national threat alert status to "high risk" or code orange, a step that administration officials previously had stated that they were reluctant to do except in the most unusual circumstances.
Some of the worrisome new intelligence indicates al Qaeda operatives are exploring security vulnerabilities on commercial or cargo air flights originating overseas and flying into U.S. airports, government officials said. It suggests the terrorist network is continually exploring how to repeat its Sept. 11, 2001, tactic of hijacking aircraft for use as missiles against U.S. targets, they added.
"The strategic [intelligence] indicators, including al Qaeda's continued desire to carry out attacks against our homeland, are perhaps greater now than at any point since September 11th," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said at an impromptu news conference. "Information indicates that extremists abroad are anticipating near-term attacks that they believe will rival, or exceed, the attacks in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania."
Raising the alert level to orange or high risk, from yellow or elevated risk, results in stepped-up security procedures across the country, to protect government buildings, critical infrastructure such as nuclear plants and railroads, harbors, shopping malls, office buildings and other locations where people congregate.
Ridge made the announcement at his department's headquarters on a highly secure naval base in northwest Washington this afternoon, 90 minutes after President Bush signed off on the recommendation by top officials of Ridge's department, the FBI, CIA, Pentagon, Justice Department and the White House that the orange alert should be invoked.
Homeland Security, intelligence and law-enforcement officials had been working round the clock, and all night Saturday night, sifting through the intelligence, coordinating with state and local officials and refining today's public announcement.
The latest intelligence information about the al Qaeda efforts to penetrate foreign airports and airlines flying into this country had come in about 48 hours before and was soon deemed "credible," officials said. That information came from "a reliable source that has been corroborated by other things we know," one official said. The officials decided to take action upon combining this new information about possible air attacks with a variety of other recent intelligence showing that al Qaeda terrorists around the globe were saying in telephone calls and e-mails that they expected a series of synchronized attacks in this country around the holiday season, officials said.
"The extremists were expecting a very near-term attack in the United States," one Homeland Security official said. The government picked up "so many credible threats" that officials concluded they had to take action, he added.
Staff writer Sara Kehaulani Goo contributed to this report.
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