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Current News |
Chertoff Warns of Higher Risk of
Terrorism
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 11, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/us/nationalspecial3/11terror.html
WASHINGTON, July 10 (AP) — United States
counterterrorism officials are warning of an
increased risk of an attack this summer, given Al
Qaeda’s apparent interest in summertime strikes and
increased Qaeda training near the Afghan-Pakistani
border.
On Tuesday, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of
homeland security, told the editorial board of The
Chicago Tribune that he had a “gut feeling” about a
new period of increased risk. He said he based his
assessment on patterns of terrorists in Europe and
intelligence he would not disclose.
“Summertime seems to be appealing to them,” Mr.
Chertoff said. “We worry that they are rebuilding
their activities.”
“Our edge is technology and the vigilance of the
ordinary citizen,” he added.
Other American counterterrorism officials expressed
similar concerns, saying that Al Qaeda and
like-minded groups have recently been able to plot
and train more freely in the tribal areas along the
Afghan-Pakistani border, where Osama bin Laden and
his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be
hiding.
Mr. Chertoff’s department has not raised the level
of terror alerts. Airlines are under high alert, the
second-most-serious level on a five-point scale. The
rest of the country remains a step below, at
elevated.
The secretary urged Americans to be alert in the
wake of recent terrorism episodes in England and
Scotland. On June 29, two cars packed with gas
cylinders and nails were discovered in London. The
next day, two men smashed their flaming Jeep
Cherokee into security barriers at Glasgow Airport. |
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