Charles Allen, the Department of Homeland Security's top intelligence official, said the department is not changing the nation's threat level, which remains at yellow, or "elevated," the middle of a five-point scale. Airlines remain one step higher, at orange.
Even as authorities warn of dangers within the US, analysts concluded the threat is more severe in Europe. The problem could touch the US directly, Fingar noted, because of the ease of travel between Europe and the US.
The White House sought to minimize the report's worries about the future of international counterterrorist cooperation. Bush's homeland security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend, said the administration is not worried about being abandoned by allies.
The Bush administration also brushed off critics who say the administration released the intelligence estimate now to help its case as the Senate debates whether to withdraw troops from Iraq. White House press secretary Tony Snow said critics are "engaged in a little selective hearing ... to shape the story in their own political ways."
Meanwhile, Democrats said that the report was proof that US anti-terrorism effort is being drained by the Iraq war.
RSS