Terror warnings shows global reach of U.S. security fears

Terror warnings shows global reach of U.S. security fears

Agencies
Washington/London/Kuala Lumpur

U.S. authorities have issued a spate of alerts in Saudi Arabia,
Malaysia and Afghanistan, and warned that al-Qaeda may be
plotting to use cargo planes to target power plants in the United
States.

The alerts, though unrelated, map a grim constellation of U.S.
security fears and the variety of potential threats to the
world's sole superpower.

Washington on Friday closed its embassy and two consulates in
Saudi Arabia, saying it had credible information that terrorists
were in the operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom.

An embassy advisory told U.S. nationals that the closure would
affect all U.S. missions around the kingdom on Saturday, but an
embassy spokesperson said a "security review" might last longer.

"In light of the seriousness of the current threat, the
embassy in Riyadh and the U.S. consulates general in Jeddah and
Dhahran will close on Saturday, Nov. 8, to review their current
security posture," the advisory said.

Surprisingly, suspected al-Qaeda suicide bombers devastated a
Riyadh residential compound of foreigners mostly from Arab states
on Sunday, killing between 20 and 30 people and injuring up to
100, diplomats said.

The British embassy in Bahrain on Saturday warned its citizens
in the Gulf state that there was a "high threat" of terrorist
attacks against western targets in the country.

A statement published on the embassy website warned British
citizens to remain vigilant in public places and to review
security arrangements.

Meanwhile, in Washington, the State Department issued a public
announcement about the safety of U.S. citizens in Malaysia,
warning they could fall prey to Southeast Asian terror groups.

The announcement urged extra caution to U.S. citizens in the
troubled eastern Malaysia state of Sabah on Borneo Island, near
where the radical Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf group kidnapped a
group of foreign tourists in 2000.

The warning also noted the threat to Americans in the region
from the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) group, which was blamed for the
nightclub bombings last year in Bali, Indonesia, and other
attacks on western targets.

"Extremist groups in the region have demonstrated their
capability to carry out transnational attacks in locations where
Westerners congregate.

Malaysia responded angrily to the safety warning, saying
security nationwide is adequate and ruling out fears the
announcement would hurt Malaysia's tourist industry.

Malaysian Minister of Defense Najib Razak said the U.S. State
Department was wrong to issue the new travel advisory because the
situation was safe for foreign tourists.

"It is not for the U.S. State Department to issue the advisory
to its citizens which can effect our image to the world
especially to foreign tourists".

"Malaysia has taken serious efforts to contain militant
activities and this has been proven with our action against
groups such as the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI)," he was quoted as
saying by the Sunday Star newspaper.

Separately, the U.S. State Department warned that remnants of
the Taliban plan to abduct American journalists in Afghanistan
and use them to demand release of Taliban prisoners held by the
United States.

"The United States embassy in Kabul has received credible
information that Taliban forces are actively searching for
American journalists to take hostage for use as leverage for the
release of Taliban currently under United States control," a
State Department notice said.

"American journalists in Afghanistan are urged to take
immediate steps to increase their security posture in light of
these threats," the embassy said in a notice.

Closer to home, the Department of Homeland Security and the
FBI late on Friday warned that al-Qaeda operatives may be
planning to hijack cargo jets in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean
and use them to attack power plants and other critical
infrastructure in the United States.

The alert was based on uncorroborated information from a
single informant, according to U.S. media reports. But
authorities deemed it serious enough to issue the warning.

U.S. authorities were also preparing to send a similar alert
to Saudi Arabia, warning that cargo planes could be used as
weapons against targets there, CNN reported.