Justice Issues New Threat Alert

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 30, 2001 -- A flurry of intelligence intercepts of suspected terrorist communications have prompted top law enforcement officials to warn the nation to prepare for a new terrorist attack this week.

"The administration has concluded, based on information developed, that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States and against United States interests over the next week," Attorney General John Ashcroft said Monday. "The administration views this information as credible, but unfortunately it does not contain specific information as to the type of attack or specific targets."

More than 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the nation were sent a "terrorist threat advisory update" cautioning them to "continue on highest alert and to notify immediately the FBI of any unusual or suspicious activity." Agencies responsible for borders and nuclear power plants, along with virtually every other arm of the federal government, were ordered to take additional security measures.

The FAA today issued a notice barring planes from flying within a 10-mile radius of all nuclear power plants.

Warning Based on New Information

Sources tell ABCNEWS the warning is based on calls made by suspected terrorist groups, including some that emanated from Afghanistan, that were intercepted by U.S. intelligence over the weekend. The calls referred to a "big event" that is coming up, using a codeword to describe the event consistently in a series of calls.

ABCNEWS counterterrorism consultant Vince Cannistraro reports evidence that such an attack is being set up is "overwhelming." But officials do not discount the possibility that electronic transmissions they are monitoring might be a form of deception.

Intelligence officials say their key concern is the next 72 hours.

"We are not recycling old stuff," a senior Bush administration official told ABCNEWS. "It is information that has been received in the last 24 and the last 48 hours. It is not just one piece of information but several pieces of information."

That official said that while the intelligence indicates a threat within a certain timeframe, they are not ruling out anything beyond that.

"The threats are credible enough that we believe that if an attack does not happen in the given time frame, then it is probably because of the enhanced law enforcement, not because an attack was not attempted or planned," the official said. "We find this threat information to be very real and very credible."

Hoping to Make the Nation Vigilant

White House officials said President Bush gave the green light for the new warning after being informed of the threat Monday morning at a briefing with Ashcroft, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and CIA Director George Tenet. Monday afternoon, Ridge convened a conference call with about 40 of the nation's governors to inform them of the alert.

Ashcroft said he hoped the alerts would serve to make Americans more vigilant and help prevent terrorist attacks, rather than just panicking the public.

"If people take these warnings seriously, they go about their lives, but they participate with patience in the additional steps that are taken by law enforcement authorities," Ashcroft said. "They are very likely participating in the prevention of terrorism and in the disruption of terrorism."

Asked whether the new warning will just scare people more than empower them, a senior White House official said, "We think the American people get it. We think they'll know what to do with it."

In light of the new warnings, Ashcroft has canceled a trip to Toronto, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech today to an international conference of police chiefs.

The last time the FBI issued such a warning was exactly one month after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Certain information, while not specific as to target, gives the government reason to believe that there may be additional terrorist attacks within the United States and against U.S. interests overseas over the next several days," the FBI said in that caution.

Nothing happened and Mueller said it's unclear whether the earlier warning warded off would-be terrorists.

"It is very difficult to tell, but it may have well havehelped to avert such an attack," Mueller said.

Bush: Country Must Stay on Alert

Asked by reporters whether he believed "Osama bin Laden isplanning a second wave of attacks" or "all theresources now dedicated to the anthrax situation reduce the country'slevel of preparedness," Bush told reporters the public needs to remain vigilant.

"We believe that the country must stay on the alert thatour enemies still hate us," Bush said.

Bush made the remarks at a meeting of his new Homeland Security Councilat the White House, where he announced a new crackdown to secure the nation's borders. Bush announced the group will form a task force totrack potential terrorists, making sure foreigners who come toAmerica actually carry out their stated purpose for being in the United States.

The group, to be chaired by Ashcroft, is expected to conduct a thorough review of student visa policies.

"If a person applies for a student visa and gets that visa, we want to make sure that person actually goes to school," Bush said.

Hani Hanjour, who is believed to have piloted the plane that slammed into the Pentagon, paid $110 in Saudi Arabia for a visa to attend a four-week language course in California. He entered the country legally — but never showed up at school.

The Justice Department announced today that the number of total arrests and detentions related to the attacks has now reached 1,017, of whom the vast majority are still being held. The Immigration and Naturalization Service is holding 179 on immigration violations.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said today that "more than 150 countries are cooperating in the financialwar against terrorism. More than 80 blocking orders have been issued by various nations; $24 million has been blocked."

The number of total arrests and detentions since September 11 has now reached 1,017.

Bush Attends World Series

Game Three of the the World Series tonight in New York has been billed as one of the most heavily guarded sports events ever, and that was before the White House announced the president and first lady Laura Bush would attend the game.

The Secret Service joined more than 1,200 police officers in guarding the Yankees game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. F-16 fighter jets patrolled the skies, which were off-limits to blimps and any other type of aircraft. Fans were warned to expect to run a security gauntlet before getting into Yankee Stadium.

Ridge said today that the president was trying to set an example that the nation should follow.

"People have asked, what should we do? And I said, go towork, take your child to school. If you've got a softball game or asoccer game this afternoon, go to the game, the president's going tothe baseball game tonight," Ridge said. "America has to continue to be America."

With the president at the game, however, Vice President Dick Cheney again spent the night in a secure location — not at his home.