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| Justice Department steps up monitoring amid election attack fears |
| 2004-09-24 |
| As the election nears, U.S. officials say they are increasingly concerned al-Qaeda will attempt to mount a devastating attack aimed at disrupting the political process. Though they have no new information indicating a time, place or method of attack, government agencies are stepping up counterterrorism efforts. In an unusual move, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Deputy Attorney General James Comey and other senior officials recently held a conference call with all 93 U.S. attorneys to reinforce that prosecutors and law enforcement officers must take every conceivable step to counter the threat, two senior law enforcement officials said. The FBI has begun assigning more people to counterterrorism investigations and agents are making more frequent checks with informers and key sources. The Drug Enforcement Administration has been directed to check for terrorism leads among its nationwide web of informants. Authorities also are increasing what they call "overt" surveillance of terrorism suspects — letting the suspects know they are being watched — and they may arrest some on relatively minor charges to get them off the street. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |