Washington, Feb 09: The name of Osama bin Laden came to haunt America again as the government raised the terror threat level to "orange" and security at public places was tightened. The announcement had nothing to do with Mr Saddam Hussein or the military build-up for a war against Iraq.
Fresh precautions are being taken by airports, public utilities, state agencies and apartment buildings as per the official advice. The new alert has been linked to activity detected by intelligence agencies as was the case in the days preceding September 11. The “chatter” was linked to increased religious fervour during the Muslim holy season.
Meanwhile, the State Department advised nonessential US diplomats and family members to leave Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The department said private American citizens should also consider leaving.
On the domestic front, officials urged greater vigilance by all Americans. Changing the terror alert colour from "yellow" triggered tighter security at borders, airports and hotels. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the new threat alert had absolutely no connection with military build-up for a war against Iraq.
In a related development, the FBI asked for public assistance in locating a 36-year-old Pakistani man named Mohammed Sher Mohammad Khan who is believed to have entered the United States a week before the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The FBI posted his photo and other details on its website but said that that it had no information that the man is connected to any potential terrorist activities. Khan, according to information received from overseas sources, is understood to have made terrorist threats against the United States.
It was clarified that Khan alone was not responsible for the new threat level announcement. The desire to question Khan is described as "simply one of a number of factors taken into consideration" in adjusting the threat level, and "not the primary reason." "Based on information developed in the course of ongoing investigations, the FBI would like to locate and question this person," the FBI statement said.
The new “wanted man” image may create more difficulties for the large Pakistani community which is already feeling harassed by the requirement of registration. Many Pakistanis have run away to Canada and are seeking asylum there.
Khan is believed to have entered the United States illegally on September 1, 2001. He is described as an English speaker who sometimes has a beard. He is asthmatic. The FBI is asking law enforcement agencies around the world to help find Khan. He is listed as standing 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 132 pounds, with black hair and black eyes.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said the government had received intelligence information, corroborated by multiple sources, that Osama bin Laden's terror organisation sought to attack Americans at home or abroad during the time of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the holy Saudi city of Mecca.
Ashcroft said there are indications that al-Qaida "might also seek economic targets, such as transportation and energy sectors, as well as symbolic targets and symbols of American power." Reports indicate that al-Qaida operatives might attempt to attack "soft" or lightly guarded targets such as apartment buildings and hotels and that such attacks could involve chemical, biological or radiological devices. Officials have been particularly concerned about the use of a so-called "dirty bomb" that could spew radiation over a relatively confined area, but there was also the possibility of conventional explosives or even assassinations.
It was reported that New York may be targeted which raised specific concerns about hotels and subways in city and elsewhere on the East Coast.
The decision to raise the threat level was approved by President Bush during a meeting with Ashcroft and Ridge, who had been going over new intelligence in the White House situation room. "I agree. Change the code," Bush was quoted as saying by his spokesman. Orange is the second-highest alert level on a five-point scale of risk developed after the Sept. 11 attacks. The level was last that high in September and stayed there for two weeks to coincide with the first anniversary of the attacks. The highest alert level is red, which signals an imminent attack.
Bureau Report
