US officials have information suggesting al-Qaeda has people in the US preparing for a large-scale attack this summer, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the information.
Meanwhile, US Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller planned to begin a campaign of public vigilance yesterday, warning that terrorists still hope to strike inside the US, law enforcement officials said on Tuesday evening.
New intelligence
The concerns are driven by intelligence deemed credible that was obtained about a month ago indicating an attack may be planned between now and Labor Day, The Washington Post reported.
The officials said that Ashcroft and Mueller planned to hold a news conference at FBI headquarters to discuss a well-known pattern of intelligence indicating that the US remained the highest priority target for al-Qaeda and affiliated extremist networks.
Contradicting news reports on Tuesday saying that new information pointed to a specific threat, the officials said Ashcroft and Mueller had no new intelligence to suggest that an attack was being planned or that preparations were under way.
Instead, the officials said they would issue a new call for public awareness and ask again for the public's help in apprehending suspected terrorists who have long been sought by the FBI and whose names are on the bureau's Web site.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has warned since April of potential threats in the US over the summer, including during this week's Memorial Day holiday weekend. His department has no plans to raise the color-coded terror alert level, which is now set at yellow for an "elevated" risk of attack, officials said on Tuesday.
Vulnerable events
Other events seen as vulnerable are the World War II Memorial dedication ceremony in Washington on Saturday, the Group of Eight summit in Savannah, Georgia, next month, the Fourth of July holiday and the Democratic and Republican national conventions toward the end of the summer.
Commissioner Raymond Kelly of the New York City police said in a statement Tuesday night that his department had received no intelligence reports to indicate a specific threat or potential attack.
The 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 department's counterterrorism bureau.
The Post 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.
The FBI also could seek help locating a man Siddiqui has been linked to, Adnan El Shukrijumah, a suspected al-Qaeda operative who spent time in Florida, according to the newspaper.
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