Bush: Plot shows US is at war
2006-08-10 22:27
Green Bay - US President George
W Bush said on Thursday a plot foiled by Britain to blow up
flights to the United States was a "stark reminder" that the
United States is "at war with Islamic fascists."
Bush said that the United States was safer than before the
September 11 attacks, but it was still not completely safe and it
would be a mistake to believe there was no longer a threat.
Bush launched a global war on terrorism after the 2001
hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington killed nearly
3 000 people. Faced with public discontent over the three-year-old
war in Iraq, he often tells Americans the threat remains.
Bush, speaking briefly on a visit to Green Bay, Wisconsin,
said the foiled plane plot was "..a stark reminder that this
nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means
to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation."
The US government heightened security on passenger planes
and barred air travellers from carrying liquids on Thursday
after Britain said it had foiled the plot.
US officials said the aim was to blow up the planes in
flight. Two officials said there were no signs the attacks were
directed at any one city, but they might have taken place on
flights heading to major US cities.
Al-Qaeda?
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the
Islamic militant group al-Qaeda might have been involved.
"This operation is in some respects suggestive of an al
Qaeda plot, but because the investigation is still under way,
we cannot yet form a definitive conclusion. We're going to wait
until all the facts are in," he told a news conference.
White House spokesperson Tony Snow said Bush had talked twice
by phone with British Prime Minister Tony Blair about the plot
- on Sunday and Wednesday. Bush called the cooperation with
Britain, the chief US ally in Iraq, excellent.
The Department of Homeland Security said it took the
unprecedented step of raising the threat level for commercial
flights originating in the United Kingdom to "severe" or red,
its highest level.
The threat level for all other commercial aircraft
operating in or destined for the United States would be raised
to "high," or orange, Chertoff said.
The United States said the plot involved liquid explosive
ingredients, and US Homeland Security barred passengers from
carrying liquids, including beverages, hair gels and lotions,
aboard planes.
(Additional reporting by Deborah Charles, Todd Eastham,
David Morgan in Washington)