Washington | Tuesday
TERRORISTS may attack targets in the United States or US interests abroad ”over the next week,” US Attorney General John Ashcroft warned on Monday, putting US law enforcement and the public on the highest state of alert.
”The administration has concluded, based on information developed, that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States and against United States’ interests over the next week,” Ashcroft said at a hastily convened news conference.
”The administration views this information as credible but unfortunately it does not contain specific information as to the type of attack or specific targets.”
It was the first such public warning since a similar Federal Bureau of Investigation advisory October 11, exactly one month after terror strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that left more than 5 000 people dead.
Asked whether that advisory averted terrorist attacks, FBI director Robert Mueller replied: ”It is very difficult to tell, but it may have well have helped to avert such an attack.”
Asked whether the new warning may be tied to a spate of anthrax-laced letters sent to news media and political figures, Mueller said: ”I have no reason to believe at this point in time that it is related.”
The warning was sent to 18 000 law-enforcement agencies nationwide, and President George W Bush ”was made aware of the situation early in the day,” Ashcroft said at the joint press conference.
Mueller and Ashcroft declined any comment as to the source of the information — a common practice officials say protects informants and leaves would-be terrorists in the dark. – Sapa-AFP