Terror Threat Level Is Raised For Key U.S. Financial Buildings

[R. A. Hettinga]

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB109136672993879685,00.html>

The Wall Street Journal


 August 1, 2004 2:46 p.m. EDT

 WORLD NEWS


Terror Threat Level Is Raised
 For Key U.S. Financial Buildings

Associated Press
August 1, 2004 2:46 p.m.


NEW YORK -- The federal government warned today of possible terrorist
attacks against "iconic" financial institutions in New York City,
Washington and Newark, N.J., saying a confluence of intelligence over the
weekend pointed to a car or truck bomb.

Specifically, the government named these buildings as potential targets:
The Citicorp building and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City; The
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank buildings in Washington; and
the Prudential Financial building in Newark.

The government said the new intelligence indicated the meticulous planning
of al Qaeda. He identified explosives as the likely mode of attack, as
opposed to a chemical or biological attack or a radiological "dirty" bomb.

Mr. Ridge said the government's threat level for financial institutions in
just these three cities would be raised to orange, or high alert, but would
remain at yellow, or elevated, elsewhere.

The government provided a wealth of detail that it had picked up in the
past 36 hours, but a senior intelligence official described it only on
condition of anonymity. The official described "excruciating detail" and
meticulous planning "indicative of al Qaeda."

The official said the intelligence included security in and around these
buildings; the flow of pedestrians; the best places for reconnaissance; how
to make contact with employees who work in the buildings; the construction
of the buildings; traffic patterns; locations of hospitals and police
departments; and which days of the week present less security at these
buildings.

To illustrate the level of detail obtained, the official cited these
examples: midweek pedestrian traffic of 14 people per minute on each side
of the street for a total of 28 people; that some explosives might not be
hot enough to melt steel; and that the construction of some buildings might
prevent them from falling down.

The official said he had not seen such extraordinary detail in his 24 years
in intelligence work.

Mr. Ridge said it would be up to New York City officials to decide whether
to move to the highest level, red. The city has remained on orange since
the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The threat potential remains through the
Nov. 2 elections, he said.

The secretary said the government took the unprecedented step of naming
specific buildings because of the level of specificity of the intelligence.
"This is not the usual chatter. This is multiple sources that involve
extraordinary detail," Mr. Ridge said. He said the government decided to
notify the public because of the specificity of detail it had obtained.

Mr. Ridge acknowledged that protecting these buildings, located in heavily
populated areas, would require additional security measures, especially
because thousands of cars and trucks travel through these cities daily.

"Car and truck bombs are one of the most difficult tasks we have in the war
on terror," Mr. Ridge said.

Local and state officials were notified earlier in the day and Mr. Ridge
said new security procedures were already being put in place.

A White House spokeswoman, Erin Healy, said the intelligence on the threat
was "very new, coming in during the last 72 hours."

"The president made the final decision today agreeing with the
recommendation of Secretary Ridge to go ahead and raise the threat level in
these select areas," Ms. Healy said.

This was the first time the color-coded warning system had been used in
such a narrow, targeted way, Mr. Ridge said at a news conference at
department headquarters. "With this kind of information comes action," he
said. "This is sobering news."

Referring to terrorists who are hostile to the U.S., Mr. Ridge said,
"Iconic economic targets are at the heart of their interest."

He said workers at the five specific buildings should get guidance from
security officers at each site and remain alert as they go to work.


-- 
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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
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experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'