Recent warnings from U.S. Officials suggest a heightened level of threat from terrorists during the next several months. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge called on law enforcement Monday for an acceleration of plans to prepare for a terrorist attack at several forthcoming high-profile events.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Sunday that officials are bracing for terrorist attacks before the November presidential election. The opportunity for terrorists to try to influence the election, as was the case last month in Spain, appears to be an opportunity that would “be too good to pass up for them,” Rice said.
In addition, intelligence reports and recent trends suggest that one or more terrorists operations are being planned and are imminent in the U.S. On Friday, April 9, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security held a rare secure conference call with police in dozens of major cities. Officials warned Law Enforcement to increase vigilance and security at soft targets, with the caveat that they have little specific information on the threat.
According to ABC News, this intelligence is from known Muslim extremists who suggested an attack - possibly in the U.S. - was imminent, and that operatives were already “in place.” The information is vague, but government officials were disturbed enough that they held a rare conference call with local police to warn them. According to the report, the information is not specific enough to raise the national threat. In addition, officials have not seen a huge surge in intelligence information.
The primary area of concern is so-called soft targets. Police were told to be on the lookout for surveillance of landmarks, and for suspicious items left in malls, subway stations or other large gatherings. By Saturday, April 10, a classified bulletin was sent out warning that groups affiliated with al-Qaeda might be planning attacks in the U.S. on the scale seen in Madrid on March 11.
Secretary Ridge on Monday identified the following forthcoming high-profile events that could give terrorists a chance to strike as part of a warning regarding protection of soft targets to national, state and local authorities:
- - Dedication of the World War II Memorial on the Washington Mall, May 29.
- - Group of Eight economic summit on Sea Island, Georgia, June 8-10.
- - Independence Day, July 4.
- - Democratic National Convention in Boston, July 26-29.
- - Republican National Convention in New York, Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
- - Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6.
Each of these events will have a site-specific security plan, but an interagency group that includes Homeland Security, the FBI, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy and the Department of Justice is being formed to address the larger picture, including the time between events.
ERRI (Emergency Response and Research Institute), a Police1 partner, suggests that there may be two major operations being planned. They note the information is vague but warrants wide-spread dissemination so Law Enforcement can be aware and increase vigilance. ERRI’s assessment is that one attack potentially involves multiple simultaneous smaller attacks, and another may involve a WMD incident, one in the near term and another sometime just before the November presidential elections, more specifically, at a time when the Jihadists determine it is the most vulnerable in influencing the U.S. elections.
They believe it worked in al-Qaeda’s favor in Spain, and that they will try it again. ERRI recognizes that there are no specifics at this time, but based on historical and predictive analysis, support the level of heightened threat suggested by recent reports.
Source: DHS; UPI; ERRI/EmergencyNet News; ABCNews
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