Posted on 05/26/2004 6:54:31 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
U.S. has credible threat of new terror attacks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has "credible" information of new, unspecified terror attacks in the country in the coming months, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says. Ridge said in a round of morning television interviews on Wednesday that there had been disturbing new reports of possible attacks to coincide with high profile events across America, including the November U.S. presidential election. "We have received several reports from sources that we do deem credible. That's not unlike intelligence we unfortunately see on a fairly regular basis," said Ridge. "It's not specific but it's enough to continue to keep us vigilant and to keep us working every single day to make sure America is more secure," he told ABC's "Good Morning America." Ridge said there were no plans to raise the colour-coded terror alert level, which is currently set at "yellow" for an "elevated" risk of attack. Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller were due to hold a 2 p.m. (7 p.m. British time) news conference at FBI headquarters. Ridge, who has been warning since April of potential attacks, gave no details on which events could be targeted in the coming months. Next month, G8 leaders are meeting near Savannah, Georgia, and a World War Two memorial is being opened this weekend in Washington over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. There are also Democratic and Republican Party conventions in Boston and New York over the summer ahead of the November election. HIGH PROFILE EVENTS "There is a threat reporting stream that talks about an attack and if you couple that with the number of high profile events we are going to have in the United States and coupled with it being an election year, (that) gives us reason to be concerned," he told NBC's "Today" show. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that U.S. officials had information suggesting al Qaeda has people in the United States preparing for a large-scale attack this summer. Asked whether a terror cell had recently entered the United States, Ridge said his department operated under the notion there were terror cells inside the United States at all times. "Sometimes we get reporting of their presence and sometimes we get reporting that they are on their way to establish a presence," he told NBC. The Post said Ashcroft and Mueller would ask Americans to watch for several suspected al Qaeda operatives who may be in the country. The newspaper said the FBI likely plans another public push to find Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who has a doctorate in neurological science and has studied in the Boston area, as well as in Houston. Officials said Mueller and Ashcroft would not announce any arrests or any new criminal charges at their news conference. Despite new threats, Ridge said the intelligence on possible new attacks was not the most disturbing since the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that are blamed on al Qaeda. And he said Americans should go about their business over the summer months. "Our job is to have security improved every single day. Americans' jobs is to go about living their lives as Americans. We'll provide the security; they have to go out and figure out how to have fun," he told CBS.
Wed 26 May, 2004 14:18
By Sue Pleming
I was thinking last night that if AQ released a video a week before the election claiming they had suitcase nukes planted in the US, and if Bush got elected again they would set them off...
It wouldnt sway any one here, but could it sway enough sheeple to swing the election against Bush?
Their claim of having planted nukes would not even have to be true.
Any thoughts?
E.D. Hill mentioned on FoxNews this morning about some al-Qaeda release that they intended to kill upwards of 4 million Americans in their next major attack.
And I carry pork rinds on the planes....
Atkins legal, ya know..
I hadn't thought of a major blackmail threat by them.
For them to make it credible, they would have to do a 'preview' to verify that they had the capability. A smaller attack somewhere would possibly happen first, for their blackmail to seem valid.
Any of the rest of you ready to put the benefits of our Second Amendment rights to work this summer should any of this happen?
We should've hit Mecca and Medina on 9-12. We still can.
I'm more concerned about the 'Meccas' and 'Medinas' within our borders. Time to stop kidding ourselves about this stuff.
PING...Thanks a whole H#ll of a lot SPAIN ! /sarcasm
Scary damn thought!
So the question is which way would the guys in the middle jump? (Middle being the "independent " voters.)
Pity the AWB doesn't sunset sooner...
US Unveils Plan to Keep Terrorists from Getting Nuclear Materials
With Russia helping.
Yup
The comment was to the effect that the 'jihad' against America will be won if 4 million get killed.
You know Al Jazeera would show the video, probably even SeeBS and the rest. Fence sitters may be swayed to kerry.
As close as the election might be, it just might be enough.
and we know who they want to win.
Neal Boortz is talking about the threats.
Great rant today!
Boortz streaming list (page down to times and station formats)
http://www.freedomkeys.com/boortzcast.htm
I don't agree that Americans would act like Spaniards in response to terrorism this summer. Hell, I remember some staunch liberals I know being ready to nuke people after September 11. Spouting liberal tripe is their pastime, but anyone who upsets their latte sessions at Starbucks must pay a dear price.
Ridge seems disturbingly unclear about where al-Quaeda cells might be operating in this country.
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