FBI Warns of Possible Attack Tuesday

Feb. 11 -- The FBI has alerted law enforcement officials at home and abroad that terrorists may be planning an attack against the United States or U.S. interests overseas, possibly as early as Tuesday.

In a warning issued tonight, the FBI urged law enforcement and the American public to be on the lookout for a Yemeni man and several associates who might be plotting a terrorist attack. It said the warning was based on information obtained in Afghanistan and from detainees at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where several al Qaeda and Taliban soldiers are being held.

"As a result of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and ongoing interviews of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, information has become available regarding threats to U.S. interests," the FBI said in an alert to 18,000 law enforcement agencies. "Recent information indicates a planned attack may occur in the United States or against U.S. interests in the country of Yemen on or around 02/12/02. One or more operatives may be involved in the attack."

The alert identified one possible operative as Fawaz Yahya al-Rabeei, a Yemeni national born in Saudi Arabia in 1979. It listed about a dozen alleged associates of al-Rabeei. The FBI asked police "to stop and detain" any of the individuals named in the alert and warned they should be considered "extremely dangerous."

Specific Date Mentioned

Senior law enforcement officials told ABCNEWS the U.S. military received a document in Afghanistan that allegedly belonged to al-Rabeei. Within the last 24 hours, investigators matched the document's information with information picked up from at least one Guantanamo detainee.

The information, officials said, cited a specific date for a possible attack and also identified al-Rabeei. FBI officials do not know al-Rabeei's whereabouts. They believe he could be anywhere in the world and may be traveling with a Yemeni passport.

Yemen was the site of the bombing of the USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000. The Navy destroyer was attacked during a refueling stop at the port of Aden. Seventeen U.S. sailors were killed.