FBI Extends Bank Terror Alert

— -- FBI Extends Bank Terror Alert

W A S H I N G T O N, April 22 — The FBI said today its warning about possible terrorist attacks on banks in the Northeast remains in effect, although the government has no new information that would substantiate reports of any specific threats or plots.

The public alert was being "constantly evaluated" and FBI agents were investigating any potential leads before senior U.S. officials will decide whether to cancel the warning, FBI spokesman Bill Carter said. He could not say how long that might take.

The FBI on Friday urged more than 1,200 banks in 12 Northeastern states onto heightened security. Authorities said the unconfirmed information that prompted the alert came in part from a high-ranking al Qaeda leader in U.S. custody.

The warning of what the FBI described as possible "physical attacks" was based in part on information from Abu Zubaydah, the highest-ranking al Qaeda terrorist leader in U.S. custody, two officials said, but it was unclear if he was telling the truth. They said he could be lying in an effort to create a panic.

Zubaydah is alleged to have been one of Osama bin Laden's top planners of terrorist operations, with knowledge of al Qaeda plots and operational cells. He was captured in Pakistan on March 28 and is recovering from three gunshot wounds he received in the raid.

There were no reports of any bank closings Friday or today in response to the alert.

The FBI warning went to more than 1,200 banks and savings institutions and to law enforcement in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and the District of Columbia.

—The Associated Press

Tampa Plane-High Rise Wreck Surprised FAA

W A S H I N G T O N, April 22 — The first indication to air traffic controllers that a student pilot had smashed a stolen plane into a Tampa office building came from a high-pitched emergency beacon on the aircraft.