Mixed Signals Over Terror Warnings
Aug. 12, 2005 — -- The FBI has sent out new warnings expressing concerns about possible terrorist attacks on U.S. soil with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks less than a month away. But FBI officials and the Department of Homeland Security are still unable to sort out or agree upon what intelligence is reliable.
This week, the FBI sent out alerts to New York, Chicago and Los Angeles that an attack on or near Sept. 11 was possible, specifically that terrorists might use gasoline tanker trunks to cause mass casualties.
But the Department of Homeland Security downplayed the warning shortly after the bulletin was sent.
The warning was prompted by information provided by a leading al Qaeda operative, Abu Faraj al-Libbi, who was captured in Pakistan in May and was considered al Qaeda's third-highest-ranking official at the time. Al-Libbi, sources have told ABC News, has told interrogators that al Qaeda was focusing on softer targets and that the organization was pleased with the results of the Madrid bombings in 2004.
However, there are questions about al-Libbi's truthfulness. A statement from Homeland Security said, "the information is uncorroborated, and the source is of questionable reliability."
Al-Libbi, law enforcement sources tell ABC News, is regarded as a known fabricator. Information about an attack planned specifically on Sept. 11 is now considered bogus. However, FBI officials point to the reality of the recent attacks in London as a justification for sending the bulletin, even if it comes across as a false alarm.
Still, sources told ABC News, there is corroborated information from al-Libbi that another attack on the United States is likely and in its planning stages. Officials have issued specific warnings to Amtrak and other rail lines along the Northeast corridor.
However, the Department of Homeland Security today decided to lower the terror threat level from orange (high) to yellow (elevated) for mass transportation systems after rush hour. The mass transportation terror threat level was raised following the July 7 bomb attacks in London.
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