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| Homeland Secretary Says Release of Report Was Mistake |
| 2005-03-16 |
| Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday it was a mistake for Hawaii to post a confidential report on its Web site, but the department will continue to communicate openly with state and local authorities about potential terror threats. Hawaii officials published a draft copy of a confidential Homeland Security report that catalogues ways terrorists might strike in the United States. The report, requested by a presidential directive in December 2003, marks Homeland Security efforts to spur state and local authorities into thinking about preventing attacks. "My understanding is this was an error," Chertoff said in an interview with reporters. "... It's not going to deter us from working closely with our state and local partners in fashioning these plans." The report was deleted from Hawaii's site late Tuesday night. Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said several other states, which he declined to identify, had also linked to the report on their Web sites. But Chertoff said he is going to resist talking publicly about possible terror threats as they unfold until he has definitive information to give. Chertoff's comments followed a Washington-area anthrax scare this week that appears to have been a false alarm. The two-day scare was marked by conflicting information from local, state and federal officials that led to some broadcast media to inaccurately report anthrax contamination. |
| Posted by:Steve |