Terror threats on US soil down

2005-05-01 14:04

Washington - The number of credible threats of terror attacks within the United States is at its lowest level since the September 11 2001 terror strikes, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, quoting US intelligence agents and federal and local law enforcement officials.

There are between 25 and 50% fewer credible attack threats than just two years ago, the Post reported, citing a senior counterterrorism official who pointed to a daily threat assessment designed to keep US government officials informed.

US officials believe that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network and similar groups are focusing instead on attacking Americans in Iraq and targets in Europe.

"The imminence of a threat seems to have diminished," US Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer told the Post. "We're just not as worried as we were a year ago, but we certainly are as vigilant."

Despite the diminished threat, few officials spoke on the record fearing that if there was an attack they would be blamed for being complacent, according to the Post.

The threat decrease is due in part to stricter US security measures and counterterrorism operations abroad, but is also due to being able to better separate fake threats from credible ones, according to the Post.

Several US officials, however, acknowledged to the newspaper that there were still many weak spots, including porous borders and poorly protected chemical plants.

- AFP