U.S. has credible threat of new terror attacks (Ashcroft to speak )

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.

"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.

"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.

Washington Post reports the following terror suspects are subjects of this warning:

Aafia Siddiqui

http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/siddiqui.htm

Adnan G. El Shukrijumah

http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/adnan.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Primetime/iraq_terrorthreats030320.html

The FBI issued a "be on the lookout" alert for Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, asking all law enforcement personnel to notify the bureau immediately if he is located.

Sources described El Shukrijumah as an al Qaeda field commander who trained under alleged terror financier Ramzi Binalshibh. They told ABCNEWS that the 27-year-old lived for years in Florida, and was identified by captured al Qaeda attack planner Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. Binalshibh and Mohammed are both in U.S. custody in undisclosed locations.

Mohammed also said that El Shukrijumah had been sent to the United States to carry out an operation, probably via Canada, sources said. He also may be linked to a so-called dirty bomb plot in which American Jose Padilla has been accused, they said.

More mugshots:

http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/terrorismsi.htm

More Info:

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Intelligence Suggests Terror Operatives in U.S. for Major Attack

By Curt Anderson Associated Press Writer

Published: May 26, 2004

WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday new information indicates the threat of a terrorist attack, possibly connected to high-profile events such as dedication of a new war monument, an economic summit and political conventions.

"I can confirm that we have seen for the past several weeks a continuous stream of reporting that talks about the possibility of attacks on the United States," he said, "but not unlike what we've seen for the past several years."

Appearing on morning television news shows in advance of a news conference scheduled later Wednesday by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, Ridge said of potential terrorists on U.S. soil: "It's our job, obviously, to try to identify who they are and apprehend them."

U.S. counterterrorism and law enforcement officials had said Tuesday that new intelligence indicates that a group of terrorists already deployed inside the United States is preparing to launch a major attack this summer. This information was described by a senior counterterrorism official on condition of anonymity as extremely credible and backed by an unusually high level of corroboration.

But Ridge, interviewed on NBC's "Today" show, said there are no current plans to lift the national alert status from Code Yellow, where it currently stands. That's the midlevel alert level on a five-step warning program, higher than green and blue but lower than orange and red.

"First of all, every day we take a look at the overall threat reporting that we receive," Ridge said. "There's not a consensus within the administration that we need to raise the threat level. ... We do not need to raise the threat level to increase security. Right now, there's no need to put the entire country on a (elevated) national alert."

"At some of the higher-profile events, you had better believe there will be additional security," Ridge said on CBS's "The Early Show."

The intelligence does not include a time, place or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the al-Qaida attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the senior counterterrorism official said.

"There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard," the official said.

Beginning with Saturday's dedication of the new World War II Memorial in Washington, the summer presents a number of high-profile targets in the United States. They include the G-8 summit in Georgia next month that will attract top officials from some of America's closest allies, plus the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July and the Republican National Convention in August in New York City.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department also are concerned about so-called soft targets such as shopping malls anywhere in the United States that offer a far less protected environment than a political convention hall.

Of special concern, the counterterrorism official said, is the possibility that terrorists may possess and use a chemical, biological or radiological weapon that could cause much more damage and casualties than a conventional bomb.

Los Angeles police held a news conference Tuesday to reassure the public.

"We would be foolhardy to ignore those statements, but I think it would be irresponsible to panic," said John Miller, head of the LAPD counterterrorism bureau.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said city officials had not been advised that terrorists were plotting an attack there.

"We are receiving highly sensitive intelligence information on a regular basis, including today, and there is nothing in that reporting to indicate a specific threat or looming attack against New York City," Kelly said in a statement late Tuesday.

U.S. authorities have said repeatedly that al-Qaida is determined to mount an attack on U.S. soil, in part to announce to the world that it remains capable of doing so despite the money and effort that has gone into homeland security since the Sept. 11 attacks.

There also is concern terrorists might try to mount an attack to coincide with the November election. The political fallout from the March 11 train bombings in Spain taught al-Qaida that an attack timed to an election can have a major impact. Spain's former ruling party was ousted in the voting that followed the bombing, which killed 191 and injured more than 2,000.

Special security attention already is being focused to the nation's rail, subway and bus lines.

Aafia Siddiqui

DESCRIPTION

Date of Birth Used:	March 2, 1972
Place of Birth:	Pakistan
Sex:	Female
Remarks: Although Aafia Siddiqui's current whereabouts are unknown, the FBI believes she is currently in Pakistan.

DETAILS

Although the FBI has no information indicating this individual is connected to specific terrorist activities, the FBI would like to locate and question this individual.

Adnan G. El Shukrijumah

Aliases:

Adnan G. El Shukri Jumah; Abu Arif; Ja'far Al-Tayar; Jaffar Al-Tayyar; Jafar Tayar; Jaafar Al-Tayyar

DESCRIPTION

Date of Birth Used:	August 4, 1975	Hair:	Black
Place of Birth:	Saudi Arabia	Eyes:	Black
Height:	5'3" to 5'6"	Sex:	Male
Weight:	132 pounds	Complexion:	Dark, Mediterranean
Build:	Average

Remarks:

El Shukrijumah occasionally wears a beard. He has a pronounced nose and is asthmatic. El Shukrijumah speaks English and carries a Guyanese passport, but may attempt to enter the U.S. with a Saudi, Canadian, or Trinidadian passport.

DETAILS

Adnan G. El Shukrijumah is wanted in connection with possible threats against the United States.

REWARD

The Rewards For Justice Program, United States Department of State, is offering a reward of up to $5 million dollars for information leading directly to the capture of Adnan G. El Shukrijumah.

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