FBI Issues Terror Warning for Supermarkets
WASHINGTON - Law enforcement officials on Wednesday said unconfirmed information from a captured senior al-Qaida official suggests terrorists may be planning attacks against supermarkets or shopping centers, The Associated Press reports.
A warning was sent out Tuesday to all FBI field offices and relayed to some state and local police. It is not considered an official alert. The officials cautioned that the information was unsubstantiated and did not include specific information about possible targets, timing, numbers of people involved or any particular method of attack.
The information follows a warning issued last week about possible attacks on banks in the northeastern United States. Officials said the information about supermarkets and shopping centers is considered less reliable than that involving banks.
The newest warning said that al-Qaida operatives inside the United States may be planning attacks against civilian targets, possibly including banks, shopping centers, supermarkets and shops, according to the AP. The information came from Abu Zubaydah, the highest-ranking al-Qaida terrorist leader in U.S. custody.
The latest alert, like last week's, did not change the nation's threat status, which remained at "yellow," using the new system of color codes. Yellow represents the midrange. To qualify for the next-highest orange alert, a threat must include a specific time and date and be corroborated and credible.
A warning was sent out Tuesday to all FBI field offices and relayed to some state and local police. It is not considered an official alert. The officials cautioned that the information was unsubstantiated and did not include specific information about possible targets, timing, numbers of people involved or any particular method of attack.
The information follows a warning issued last week about possible attacks on banks in the northeastern United States. Officials said the information about supermarkets and shopping centers is considered less reliable than that involving banks.
The newest warning said that al-Qaida operatives inside the United States may be planning attacks against civilian targets, possibly including banks, shopping centers, supermarkets and shops, according to the AP. The information came from Abu Zubaydah, the highest-ranking al-Qaida terrorist leader in U.S. custody.
The latest alert, like last week's, did not change the nation's threat status, which remained at "yellow," using the new system of color codes. Yellow represents the midrange. To qualify for the next-highest orange alert, a threat must include a specific time and date and be corroborated and credible.