clambake
07-11-2007, 02:54 PM
US security chief warns of higher risk of attack over summer
07.11.07, 4:44 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Thomson Financial) - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in an interview released Wednesday the United States faces a higher risk of a terrorist attack over the summer months.
'I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk,' Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune (nyse: TRB - news - people ).
'We've seen a lot more public statements from Al-Qaeda. There are a lot of reasons to speculate about that but one reason that occurs to me is that they're feeling more comfortable and raising expectations,' he said in the interview posted on the newspaper's website.
Chertoff, referring to the Al-Qaeda network, said that 'in prior summers, we've had attacks against the West, which suggests that summer seems to be appealing to them.'
Chertoff said his remarks were based on past patterns of terrorist attacks, recent statements by Al-Qaeda, 'increased activity in South Asia,' and intelligence reports.
'All these things have given me kind of a gut feeling that we are in a period of increased vulnerability,' said Chertoff, who spoke to the paper's editorial writers on Tuesday in Chicago.
But Chertoff said that there was no evidence of an imminent plot that would require raising the current threat level for the country.
Chertoff's comments came as a US television network reported that US intelligence indicated a heightened threat from Al-Qaeda.
'Senior US intelligence officials tell ABC news that new intelligence suggests a small Al-Qaeda cell is on its way to the United States, or may already be here,' ABC reported on its website.
Chertoff warned against complacency among the US public and said Americans had to be willing to accept a degree of inconvenience to counter terrorist threats.
'If we get into a road where everybody's attitude is, 'I'm interested in homeland security but not if it's going to cost me anything, not if it's going to inconvenience me, not if it's going to be in my backyard,' then we get complacency and I guarantee we will lose the race with the terrorists,' he said.
'The one thing they have in abundance is fanatic devotion to their cause.'
Referring to the September 11 attacks against New York and Washington in 2001, Chertoff said: 'We could easily be attacked. The intent to attack us remains as strong as it was on September 10, 2001.'
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ejb/jlc
Chertoff said I have this gut feeling that all of us are dead". He also stated "This should get the repubs back on board".
07.11.07, 4:44 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Thomson Financial) - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in an interview released Wednesday the United States faces a higher risk of a terrorist attack over the summer months.
'I believe we are entering a period this summer of increased risk,' Chertoff told the Chicago Tribune (nyse: TRB - news - people ).
'We've seen a lot more public statements from Al-Qaeda. There are a lot of reasons to speculate about that but one reason that occurs to me is that they're feeling more comfortable and raising expectations,' he said in the interview posted on the newspaper's website.
Chertoff, referring to the Al-Qaeda network, said that 'in prior summers, we've had attacks against the West, which suggests that summer seems to be appealing to them.'
Chertoff said his remarks were based on past patterns of terrorist attacks, recent statements by Al-Qaeda, 'increased activity in South Asia,' and intelligence reports.
'All these things have given me kind of a gut feeling that we are in a period of increased vulnerability,' said Chertoff, who spoke to the paper's editorial writers on Tuesday in Chicago.
But Chertoff said that there was no evidence of an imminent plot that would require raising the current threat level for the country.
Chertoff's comments came as a US television network reported that US intelligence indicated a heightened threat from Al-Qaeda.
'Senior US intelligence officials tell ABC news that new intelligence suggests a small Al-Qaeda cell is on its way to the United States, or may already be here,' ABC reported on its website.
Chertoff warned against complacency among the US public and said Americans had to be willing to accept a degree of inconvenience to counter terrorist threats.
'If we get into a road where everybody's attitude is, 'I'm interested in homeland security but not if it's going to cost me anything, not if it's going to inconvenience me, not if it's going to be in my backyard,' then we get complacency and I guarantee we will lose the race with the terrorists,' he said.
'The one thing they have in abundance is fanatic devotion to their cause.'
Referring to the September 11 attacks against New York and Washington in 2001, Chertoff said: 'We could easily be attacked. The intent to attack us remains as strong as it was on September 10, 2001.'
[email protected]
ejb/jlc
Chertoff said I have this gut feeling that all of us are dead". He also stated "This should get the repubs back on board".