Al-Qaida statement threatens more attacks
A statement attributed to al-Qaida threatened more attacks in New York and Washington unless America stops supporting Israel and converts to Islam, an Arab TV reporter who received the unsigned document said Saturday.
Yosri Fouda, correspondent for the satellite station Al-Jazeera, told The Associated Press he received the six-page document Wednesday. That was a day after the TV station broadcast an audiotape purportedly made by Osama bin Laden.
Fouda, who is known for good contacts within al-Qaida, would only say that the statement came from his sources with the group. But he insisted he was certain it came from the terrorist movement's leadership.
More states requiring pledge said in school
HARRISBURG, Pa.
The patriotic atmosphere following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks together with a backlash against a federal court ruling have prompted more and more states to require that the Pledge of Allegiance be said in school.
Twenty-eight states require public school classes to recite the pledge, according to the Education Commission of the States, a national association of state education officials. Seven more encourage schools to conduct the pledge.
As of September, 16 states had passed laws during the 2001-02 session or had legislation pending that required or encouraged reciting the pledge in schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Three of those states Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri enacted laws requiring or encouraging the Pledge of Allegiance since an appeals court declared the phrase "under God' in the pledge unconstitutional June 26.
3 men held in London on terror charges
LONDON
Three men have been charged with possessing materials that could be used to carry out terrorist acts, police said Saturday.
Scotland Yard said the suspects were charged with possessing materials for the "preparation, instigation or commission' of terrorist acts.
Rabah Chekat-Bais, 21, Rabah Kadris, in his mid-30s, and Karim Kadouri, 33 all of no fixed address appeared in court earlier this week. They were being held in custody until their next court appearance.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that the men had been plotting to release gas, possibly cyanide, on the London subway system. But police would not comment on the newspaper report.
Car-bomb attack plan targeted Americans
KUWAIT CITY
Kuwaiti police have arrested a senior member of al-Qaida who allegedly was helping to plan a car-bomb attack on a Yemeni hotel frequented by Americans, a newspaper reported Saturday.
Police arrested a 21-year-old Kuwaiti identified only by the initials "M.F.' two weeks ago, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Anba said.
An Interior Ministry official confirmed the newspaper report but would provide no further details.
According to Al-Anba, the arrested Kuwaiti told police that a Yemeni national identified as Osama al-Yemeni was to drive a bomb-wired car into an unidentified hotel in the Yemeni capital, San'a.
Groups fearful security measures too broad
WASHINGTON
Writers of the homeland security bill, in their quest to shield secrets from terrorists, may end up keeping information from the public that it needs to know, media and watchdog groups say.
At issue is whether the legislation to create the massive federal agency will erect prohibitive barriers to openness by making it easier to deny requests under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Senate is expected to pass the bill, already approved by the House, this week. On Monday, senators will vote on an amendment that would strip the bill of language exempting advisory committees from public disclosure rules.
Improving intelligence gathering seen as vital
WASHINGTON
The White House is actively focused on ways to improve domestic intelligence gathering as a weapon in the war against terrorism but is not now considering setting up a new domestic spy agency to do that job, senior administration officials said Saturday.
The officials confirmed that high-level discussions are taking place about how domestic intelligence gathering can be improved with the impending creation of a Department of Homeland Security. But they said efforts also continue to restructure the domestic intelligence capabilities of the FBI.
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