Washington warns of weapons and bombs hidden in electronics<\/p>\n
Christina Ling, Reuters, Washington<\/p>\n
U.S. officials on Tuesday warned airports to step up scrutiny of
\npassengers' electronic items amid renewed militant threats, but
\nsaid there were no plans to raise the national threat level.<\/p>\n
Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge also said it did not
\nappear that a deadly explosion on Tuesday in the Indonesian
\ncapital that killed 14 people was linked to threats against the
\nUnited States broadcast by top al-Qaeda figure Ayman al-Zawahri
\nover the weekend.<\/p>\n
\"There is no indication that the attack in Jakarta was in any
\nway related to al-Zawahri's statement,\" Ridge told a news
\nconference.<\/p>\n
The tape warned on Sunday that the United States would pay \"a
\ndear price\" for harm inflicted on Muslim detainees at the naval
\nbase at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and that the \"real battle\" had not
\nyet begun.<\/p>\n
The advisory about possible new ways to conceal explosives in
\nelectronic devices was the latest of several measures taken to
\ntighten security at U.S. airports in the wake of last week's
\nwarning that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network was planning new
\nsuicide hijackings and bombings in the United States or abroad.<\/p>\n
Ridge said the advisory was based on \"very specific\"
\ninformation obtained during a raid on an al-Qaeda residence in an
\nunspecified location.<\/p>\n
Citing similar information, officials on Saturday suspended
\nprograms that allow some foreigners to enter the United States
\nwithout a visa,<\/p>\n
But Ridge said The United States was still not notching up the
\ncolor-coded, five-tier threat level, currently at the middle-
\nranked yellow for \"elevated.\"<\/p>\n
\"We are not presently considering raising the national threat
\nwarning system,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that
\nal-Qaeda operatives had \"shown a special interest\" in converting
\na camera flash attachment into a stun gun type of weapon or a
\nbomb. Operatives have also experimented with disguising a
\ndetonator and explosives inside a camera.<\/p>\n
Other items that could be modified into weapons included
\nremote door or lock openers, cellular telephones, multi-band
\nradios and dual speaker radios and computers.<\/p>\n
\"Analysis of various bomb-making components and camera flash
\nattachments acquired during a raid on an al-Qaeda residence
\nindicates the group is attempting to fabricate devises using
\nphotographic materials,\" the advisory said.<\/p>\n
The disclosure coincided with the car bomb explosion near the
\nlobby of Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel in an attack reminiscent of
\nthe bombing of a Bali nightclub area last October that killed 202
\npeople.<\/p>\n
Separately, pilots at American Airlines, the world's largest
\nairline, appealed to the government on Tuesday to expand a new
\nprogram that allows commercial aviators to carry guns in the
\ncockpit.<\/p>\n
\"In light of the recent news reports that terrorists are
\nplotting new attacks against commercial aviation, it is
\nimperative that we accelerate the (program),\" said John Darrah,
\npresident of the Allied Pilots Association.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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