The US Department of Homeland Security has often been accused of crying wolf for raising the alert after overhearing"chatter" on the terrorist grapevine.
This time, however, the US authorities really believe they have caught a rare glimpse of the wolf at work -- an al-Qaeda operation in preparation.
The high alert sounded at financial institutions in New York, New Jersey or Washington was the most specific to date, and it marks the first time this year that the color-coded alert status has been raised to orange (high).
Warning is specific
It is also the first time that the homeland security department has named specific buildings as possible al-Qaeda targets.
The warning is based on the blueprint of a proposed operation found on an al-Qaeda computer belonging to Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian-born terrorist suspect arrested in Pakistan last week.
Even more important is the evidence provided by the al-Qaeda computer expert and web manager, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, who led investigators to Ghailani.
The computer files pointed to an extensive and meticulous plan to attack a financial target, such as the World Bank, the Citigroup headquarters in New York, or the Prudential Financial building in Newark.
Al-Qaeda operatives had clearly scouted out those buildings, gaining access to upper floors by posing as couriers and delivery men. Ways in and out had been mapped, and the number of potential casualties assessed.
"It is a treasure trove," a US intelligence official said on Sunday. "It provides an incredible level of detail regarding potential targets."
However, there were no clues about the timing of the attacks. Workers at the buildings mentioned on the al-Qaeda files were told to go to work as normal, with instructions only to be concerned.
Tom Ridge, the US homeland security chief, suggested that for "the workers going to work today, there are very anxious moments."
Meanwhile, one tunnel leading into New York was closed to lorries, while police in New York, Newark and Washington were supposed to be stopping cars and lorries near the would-be targets, questioning drivers, and in some cases searching vehicles.
Critics of the measures argued they did more to raise anxiety than to provide real security against attack. Larry Thompson, a former CIA and state department counter-terrorist official, accused the administration of perpetuating "a cry wolf phenomenon".
He added: "You're showing the terrorists that if they make enough of a specific threat, they can shut down a city."
Howard Dean, a former Vermont governor and outspoken Democrat, suggested that the alert was a political ploy by the Bush administration.
Criticism
"I am concerned that every time something happens that's not good for President [George W.] Bush he plays his trump card, which is terrorism," he told CNN. "It is just impossible to know how much of this is real and how much of this is politics."
However, Senator John Kerry, the Democratic party presidential candidate, who was briefed on his campaign bus, disowned Dean's remarks, saying: "I believe you take these threats seriously. I think people of good conscience are working on these issues."
Given the specificity of the al-Qaeda plans uncovered in Pakistan, there was never any question that an alert would be raised.
US intelligence has just emerged from a televised grilling for its failure to spot the warning signs of the Sept. 11 attack. It is not about to repeat the mistake.
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
HAZARDOUS CONDITION: The typhoon’s sheer size, with winds extending 443km from its center, slowed down the ability of responders to help communities, an official said The US Coast Guard was searching for six people after losing contact with their disabled boat off the coast of Guam following Typhoon Sinlaku. The crew of the 44m dry cargo vessel, the US-registered Mariana, on Wednesday notified the coast guard that the boat had lost its starboard engine and needed assistance, Petty Officer 3rd Class Avery Tibbets said yesterday. The coast guard set up a one-hour communication schedule with the vessel, but lost contact on Thursday. A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft was launched to search for the six people on board, but it had to return to Guam because of
RSS