Miguel
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WASHINGTON — The federal government elevated the terrorist threat level in the U.S. to orange Tuesday, putting the country and U.S. interests abroad at "high risk of terrorist attacks."
U.S. intelligence agencies have received "specific and credible" knowledge of an impending attack overseas, government sources told Fox News. Coupled with increased "background chatter" that the agencies have been picking up in the past week, analysts said that the situation looks eerily similar to Sept. 10 of last year.
Vice President Dick Cheney was moved to an undisclosed, secure location on Monday night "based on an ongoing review of information that is received as well as out of precaution," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. He declined to say how long Cheney had been there, or how long he would stay.
Attorney General John Ashcroft scheduled a 1:15 p.m. EDT press conference at the Justice Department, at which time he was expected to explain the decision. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and FBI Director Robert Mueller were expected to attend.
"As a result of new information we have received, the threat level is increasing from yellow to orange. It's a nationwide alert," a senior administration official said.
That official said that while the threat pertains to embassies overseas, officials have not ruled out that interests in America could be targeted. Thus, security at federal buildings throughout Washington was increased Tuesday.
An administration official told Fox News the nationwide threat level was increased "as a result of new information" and not just as a reaction to the general fear of attacks on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
At the Pentagon, security was already heightened because of the Sept. 11 anniversary. A mobile surface-to-air missile launcher -- part of an exercise announced Monday -- was parked several hundred yards from the Pentagon Tuesday morning.
The Pentagon's official security condition remained at "Charlie" -- the second-highest of a four-level scale. The Pentagon had been at "Force Protection Condition Delta," the highest level, for weeks after last year's attack.
Since the administration created a five-color threat system in March, the government has kept the warning at code yellow, signifying an elevated condition of alert and a significant risk of terrorist attacks.
The orange code that was set Tuesday is the second highest alert status, signaling a high risk for terrorist attacks.
Under the system set up by Ridge, government officials must:
• Coordinate necessary security efforts with armed forces or law enforcement agencies.
• Take additional precautions at public events.
• Prepare to work at an alternate site or with a dispersed work force.
• Restrict access to essential personnel only.
On Monday, fearful of new terror attacks but armed with little specific information, the government warned potential targets to be on high alert in the run-up to the Sept. 11 anniversary.
While officials said they had no details outlining an impending attack, they were taking no chances.
The FBI told police, utilities, banks and the transportation industry to be wary. U.S. military bases and diplomatic missions worldwide also are on high security alert for the week.
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Monday the threat of new attacks remains a worry to U.S. officials.
``Anniversaries can be — not necessarily always — can be occasions for heightened terrorist activity,'' Fleischer said. ``Just given the fact that it's a one-year anniversary, we're going to be on our toes.''
The State Department issued a worldwide caution Monday night urging Americans to remain especially vigilant this week.
In the past few days, U.S. intelligence agencies have detected what officials now describe as a marked increase in terrorist ``chatter,'' information from monitored communications and other sources that are used as a barometer of the likelihood of potential attacks.
The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center, which assesses threats to key utilities and infrastructure, issued a general alert last week.
``A large volume of threats of undetermined reliability continues to be received and investigated by the FBI,'' the bulletin said. ``Several of these threats make reference to the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and to New York City and Washington, D.C.''
Other events mentioned on the Web site as warranting increased awareness include the Sept. 10-20 U.N. General Assembly session in New York and the Sept. 25-29 World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington.
The warnings are based on information from all U.S. intelligence sources, from telephone calls to interviews with detainees at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a senior law enforcement official.
Information from detainees, most of whom have been out of circulation for months, has proven false previously. U.S. officials have said they act on it only when corroborated through multiple sources.
Recent terror plots in Afghanistan and Germany have not been linked to Al Qaeda, said a U.S. counterterrorism official, speaking Monday on condition of anonymity.
In Germany, a Turkish man and his American fiancee, arrested last week on suspicion of plotting to bomb a U.S. military base in Heidelberg, are thought to have been inspired by Usama bin Laden, but U.S. and German officials doubt the pair is connected to the organization.
If that's the case, counterterror officials worry that the Turk, Osman Petmezci, and his fiancee, Astrid Eyzaguirre, may represent a new kind of threat wrought by the spectacular nature of the Sept. 11 attacks — people who have had no contact with Al Qaeda but are moved to action by bin Laden.
U.S. military bases went on alert Monday out of an abundance of caution and not in response to any specific threat, government officials said.
At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said a cable was sent to all diplomatic posts advising them to maintain a higher state of alert Wednesday. A worldwide July 1 caution urging Americans to take care remains in effect.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila in the Philippines was believed to be of particular concern for potential terrorist strikes. And in nearby Indonesia, U.S. officials barred the public until further notice from the embassy in Jakarta and the consulate in Surabaya after receiving ``credible and specific threat information'' Monday that the embassy is at risk of terrorist attack.
The FBI bulletin did not cite specific intelligence of an attack at the United Nations but said such a New York City event in the general time frame of the Sept. 11 anniversary ``represents a potentially attractive target for terrorists.''
The bulletin said the World Bank demonstrations are planned by a ``loose alliance of left-wing groups.''
``It is expected that some individuals plan to engage in criminal activity aimed at disrupting the meeting and drawing attention to their cause,'' the bulletin said. ``Historically, tiny contingents of individuals associated with the protests belonged to violent groups. Those groups have a history of causing property damage.''
President Bush will mark Wednesday's anniversary of the attacks with a speech to the nation, followed by an address Thursday to the U.N. General Assembly.
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Romans 9:11-24
Our Eschatology may vary even our Ecclesiology may be disputed among us but our Soteriology most assume a singularity and exclusivity which in biblical term is known as Quote; "The Narrow Way" and Quote!
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