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Al-Qaeda entering operations phase
Officials believe al Qaeda may be entering the "operational or planning phase of an attack" before the November presidential election, an administration official said Thursday. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is expected to announce that warning at a briefing at 11 a.m. Thursday. No new specific intelligence exists, however, and Ridge will not announce that he is raising the national color-coded threat level beyond the yellow, or elevated, level. It was not immediately clear how the assessment of existing intelligence has led Ridge to his expected remarks. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee, said the intelligence was "very non-specific" and there was "no reason for panic, no reason for paralysis. "This is not a major announcement, itâs just a fact," Frist told reporters. "The reality is of increased risk here in the homeland over the next several weeks, the next several months."Officials say there is no specific intelligence of a planned attack on either of the major political conventions. The four-day Democratic convention kicks off July 26 in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Republican National Convention begins August 30 in New York City. Officials say Ridge thinks it is time to again raise public awareness. Because there is no plan to raise the threat level and only general information, some Democrats privately have questioned whether the timing of the announcement is politically motivated. A senior administration official said accusations of scaremongering are to be expected. But the official, who has read Ridgeâs prepared remarks, added, "This is one of those damned if you do and damned if you donâts, and our default is âdo.â " A senior campaign adviser to Sen. John Kerry, President Bushâs expected rival in November, said he is giving the White House the benefit of the doubt. He added, however, that the White House would have to explain its reasons for the new warnings. Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-07-08 |
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