The FBI is warning state and local partners to be on the alert for suicide bombers who may disguise themselves to appear harmless, or uniformed as first-responders during an emergency incident.
The bureau says there is no hard intelligence warning of any plans by terrorists to launch suicide attacks in the United States, but wants those on the front lines in the war on terror to be aware of such a threat.
In its weekly bulletin distributed to 18,000 agencies, the FBI says to look out for people wearing bulky jackets on warm days, smelling of chemicals, or even individuals whose fists are tightly clenched or who refuse to show hands or palms when challenged.
The bulletin also says suicide bombers may disguise themselves as uniformed Military, Law Enforcement, EMS or Fire personnel.
Other disguises could include those of pregnant women, possibly in Islamic clothing, or package delivery/shipping personnel. Police1 recommends positive identification of all public safety and delivery contacts at possible target locations.
The FBI has earlier warned of possible suicide bombings, but officials have indicated that extremist rhetoric following reports of abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, as well as concern over several commemorative or historic events coming up in the U.S. have renewed concern.
The special events include the official opening of the World War II memorial in Washington, the 4th of July holiday and the Democratic and Republican conventions.
Officials say suicide bombers are usually impossible to detect. There is usually no advance intelligence and so-called soft targets such as shopping malls are nearly impossible to protect from such an attack.
