Posted on 09/04/2003 10:06:56 PM PDT by FairOpinion
The FBI is warning that terrorists might try to poison food or water supplies, and senior bureau officials said al-Qaeda was determined to attack Americans at home even though the organisation appears to have a relatively small US presence.
The FBI has not detected any individuals or cells actively planning attacks such as those almost two years ago that killed some 3000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Most al-Qaeda operatives in the US provide logistical support such as travel documents, recruitment and fund raising, Larry Mefford, the FBI's chief counterterrorism official, said today.
"My view is, it's very small but it does exist," Mefford said of al-Qaeda's US presence. "Our concern continues to be what exists in the United States that we're not aware of."
Separately, the US Homeland Security Department is advising federal, state and local security officials to evaluate their security procedures in the run-up to the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
But it said current intelligence doesn't warrant an increase in the national threat warning.
The current code yellow alert, which signifies an elevated risk of terrorist attack, is the middle level on the five-colour scale.
The Homeland Security advisory says, "We remain concerned about al-Qaeda's continued efforts to plan multiple attacks against the US and US interests overseas."
It adds that they have no specific information on individual targets or dates for any attack.
Recent arrests of senior al-Qaeda members appear to have slowed some of their operational planning, the advisory says.
However, it notes that al-Qaeda operatives are still looking to conduct an attack similar to the September 11 strikes, using hijacked aircraft as missiles.
The FBI's Mefford said al-Qaeda remains America's most dangerous terrorist foe because of the group's tenacity, patience and willingness to use tactics, including weapons of mass destruction, that demonstrate "they have no inhibitions and they have no rules".
The Homeland Security advisory says intelligence indicates operatives may try to hijack flights that fly near, but not into, the United States, so they will not have to pass the increasingly stringent requirements to board a US-bound flight.
It also warns of truck bombs at infrastructure targets like power plants, petrochemical facilities, transportation hubs, dams and food distribution centres.
Lightly protected buildings like restaurants, hotels and apartments are also possible targets, it says.
Terrorists could also try unusual approaches to artfully conceal suicide devices, the advisory said. "Male bombers may dress as females in order to discourage scrutiny."
The FBI's latest weekly bulletin to state and local law enforcement agencies cautions terrorists might use two naturally occurring toxins – nicotine and solanine – to poison US food or water supplies.
Nicotine is found in tobacco plants and solanine in potatoes that are old or have been exposed to sunlight for a long time.
The bulletin, obtained by The Associated Press, says that terrorist manuals and documents recovered at al-Qaeda sites in Afghanistan contain references to use of both substances as poisons.
The FBI said there are no known uses of either toxin by al-Qaeda or other Islamic extremist groups, and there is no intelligence indicating such an attack is imminent.
But the bulletin noted a man in Michigan pleaded guilty in May to lacing 112kg of ground beef with an insecticide containing nicotine, sickening 92 people, in an attempt to get a supermarket co-worker in trouble.
Such lone offenders, whether al-Qaeda sympathisers or domestic criminals, are a concern to the FBI because they are difficult to detect.
But Mefford said the FBI's main focus is on tracking known al-Qaeda operatives in the US to gather intelligence on their contacts and intentions.
Mefford told reporters that the FBI's strategy is to keep these operatives under surveillance for as long as possible and document any criminal or immigration violations they commit.
The FBI can then arrest the individuals at a moment's notice to disrupt or prevent terrorist operations from going forward.
The FBI bulletin said there is no intelligence indicating that al-Qaeda is planning an attack to coincide with next week's anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Al-Qaeda, the bulletin said, is not known for using such anniversaries for its attacks,
The Associated Press
It also warns of truck bombs at infrastructure targets like power plants, petrochemical facilities, transportation hubs, dams and food distribution centres.
Be Safe!
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