Ridge Acknowledges Terror Threats, but 'Nothing Specific'

KIRK SEMPLE / NY Times 26may04

	See Ridge 30 sec. video on preparedness

Tom Ridge, the secretary of Homeland Security, confirmed today that officials have intercepted new communication suggesting a possible terror attack in the United States, but he said the government did not plan to raise the nation's terror alert level, currently at the midpoint of a five-level scale.

"There is absolutely nothing specific enough" that warrants a change in the alert level, he said on NBC's "Today."

In interviews on several morning shows, Mr. Ridge appeared to be seeking to diminish the alarm caused by a report from The Associated Press on Tuesday that officials had information about a specific threat this summer.

The news agency reported that the government had new intelligence indicating that a group of terrorists already deployed inside the United States was preparing to launch a major attack in the next few months. The intelligence did not include a time, place or method of attack, The A.P. reported, quoting an unnamed senior counterterrorism official.

Mr. Ridge has warned since April of potential threats in the United States over the summer, particularly coinciding with high-profile events like the two national political conventions and the G-8 summit in Georgia.

"I can confirm that we have seen for the past several weeks a continuous stream of reporting that talks about the possibility of attacks on the United States," Mr. Ridge said on "Today." But he said the flow of information was "not unlike what we've seen for the past several years."

Attorney General John Ashcroft and Director Robert S. Mueller III of the F.B.I. are scheduled to hold a news conference this afternoon at F.B.I. headquarters to discuss a well-known pattern of intelligence indicating that the United States remained the highest priority target for Al Qaeda and affiliated extremist networks.

Officials say Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Mueller would issue a new call for public awareness and ask again for the public's help in apprehending suspected terrorists who have long been sought by the F.B.I. and whose names are on the bureau's Web site.

"There's not a consensus within the administration that we need to raise the threat level," Mr. Ridge said this morning. "We don't need to raise the threat level to increase our security."

The terror alert level is currently at yellow, higher than green and blue but lower than orange and red.

Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly of the New York Police Department said in a statement Tuesday night that his department had received no intelligence reports to indicate a specific threat or potential attack.

The Los Angeles police held a news conference on Tuesday to reassure the public. "We would be foolhardy to ignore those statements, but I think it would be irresponsible to panic," said John Miller, head of the department's counterterrorism bureau.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/national/26CND-TERR.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position= 26may04