December 21, 2003
Threat level Orange
Happy holidays, courtesy of the jihadists.
The government is raising the national threat warning from yellow, the midpoint on its five-color scale, to orange, a federal official said Sunday. Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, planned to discuss the change at a midafternoon news conference at the agency's headquarters. A department official and a Bush administration official both confirmed the elevated threat level but declined to provide details before Ridge's announcement. U.S. officials by the end of last week were telling holiday travelers to be vigilant about the threat of terrorist attacks. The warning was prompted in part by a raised level of ominous intercepted communications that has not quieted for months.
UPDATE: Tom Ridge made the announcement Sunday afternoon.
The U.S. Intelligence Community has received a substantial increase in the volume of threat related intelligence reports. These credible sources suggest the possibility of attacks against the homeland around the holiday season and beyond.The strategic indicators, including al-Qaida's continued desire to carry out attacks against our homeland, are perhaps greater now than at any point since September 11th.
Information indicates that extremists abroad are anticipating near-term attacks that they believe will rival - or exceed - the scope and impact of those we experienced in New York, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania more than two years ago.
Recent reporting reiterates that al-Qaida continues to consider using aircraft as a weapon. And they are evaluating procedures both here and abroad to find gaps in our security posture that can be exploited. Our actions are directed against their efforts.
Friendly reminder: if you see some fanatical asshat starting trouble while you travel or shop, just kill him then and there.
Posted by Alan at December 21, 2003 01:20 PM