Cites a “Steady Drum Beat” of Intel
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge today again warned of the possible terror threat this summer. Though he said there is no specific terror information regarding time, place or method of any potential attack, he took the opportunity to urge continued vigilance. Ridge said there has been a “steady drum beat” of intelligence that tells officials that al-Qaeda’s terror network is intent on hitting sometime between now and the November elections.
Police1 reminds law enforcement that throughout the summer, with the Olympic games in Greece, and the U.S. political conventions being held domestically, there will be additional terror warnings. This alert is designed to remind law enforcement that despite the large number of warnings from federal officials -- many of which may be vague and without specific details -- a real threat continues to exist. Remember never to let your guard down; do not take anything or any person for granted, and be on the lookout for anything that may seem out of place.
For more information of what to look for, please review the following Police1 Reports:
Two of Your Most Powerful Counter-Terrorism Weapons and How To Use Them
FBI Again Warns of Secondary Explosive Devices, Cautions Officers To Watch Surroundings
FBI Warns of Possible Suicide Attacks, May Be Disguised As First-Responders
This year’s Democratic convention in Boston and Republican convention in New York City are believed to be prime targets. The Democrats will meet at Boston’s Fleet Center July 26-July 29, with the GOP convention to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York from Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
Ridge says there’s no specific information indicating that al-Qaeda is targeting either the Democratic National Convention later this month in Boston or the Republican National Convention a month later in New York. He was careful to say the focus on a possible election-season attack is not a “major announcement,” but a chance for Congress to become informed and take appropriate actions if needed.
A political convention has “all of the elements of a terrorist’s target - it’s got a lot of people there, it’s very symbolic S and it’s also very political,” former CIA operative and senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation, Peter Brookes, said. “The threat continues and there’s no doubt this is a prime time to insert themselves -- not only to kill Americans -- but to insert themselves into our democratic process.”
The FBI has formed a special task force to respond to the convention threat, which also prompted the Secret Service to close roads and rail lines and restrict other access around the convention sites.
Bush administration officials have said al-Qaeda was emboldened by its attack in Spain, which killed 190 people and contributed to the election defeat of the ruling party. Spain subsequently announced it would withdraw troops from Iraq.
Ridge said that while the national terror alert will not be raised right now, heightened security measures are being put into place to protect the nation from summer attacks
“I thought in the post-Madrid environment, it would be very important on a periodic basis to give America an update on where we are and what we are doing,” Ridge said when asked by reporters why there have been such regular security briefings in the past few months.