US alert as bin Laden urges Iraqis to attack
Britain was also on a war footing yesterday as army troops patrolled London's Heathrow airport, sparking fears of a possible terrorist missile attack on a low-flying plane.
Around 450 soldiers were deployed at the airport in a move authorised by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and based on intelligence of a specific threat.
Bin Laden urged Iraqis to carry out suicide attacks against Americans, saying that was what scared Israel and the US most.
In an audiotape aired on the Qatar-based Arab news channel al-Jazeera, bin Laden said the US was waging a psychological war against Iraq and Iraqis should expect massive bombardment from the air.
Al-Jazeera officials confirmed the voice on the tape was that of Bin Laden.
The heads of the FBI and CIA warned Americans yesterday that the al-Qaida terrorist network remains a "resourceful, merciless" foe.
In a joint appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee, FBI chief Robert Mueller and CIA Director George Tenet painted a chilling portrait of a fanatical enemy that seeks to use chemical, biological and radiological weapons against Americans.
Mr Tenet said intelligence points to attacks that could occur this week coinciding with the Muslim Hajj holy days possibly using a "dirty bomb" that spews out radiological material.
He said the reports of planned attacks are "the most specific we have seen."
"This is not idle chatter on the part of the terrorists," he said, adding the number of messages being sent to and by terrorists is the highest since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Meanwhile, at home, the Government was under increasing pressure to join France and Germany in their bid to stop the war.
Opposition parties said the Government must state if it will support an attack on Iraq without the backing of the UN or NATO.
Fine Gael also called on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to clarify if the Government will allow US planes to continue refuelling at Shannon without a second UN Security Council resolution.
"The Government must indicate if it supports the idea of giving the weapons inspectors some limited additional time," Fine Gael Foreign Affairs spokesman Gay Mitchell said.
Labour called on the Government to end its silence on the legitimacy of war and align itself with the Germans and French who are doing everything to stop a war.
Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen said the Government will be studying the UN weapons inspectors report, to be released on Friday, over the weekend and would do everything possible to develop a common position when EU leaders meet on Monday.
"It will not be easy and may not be possible " Mr Cowen told the Dáil.
In Brussels, a second day of intensive consultations at NATO yesterday failed to end one of the worst crises in the alliance's 53-year history.
France, Germany and Belgium are refusing to lift their veto of US-backed plans to bolster Turkish defences against a possible Iraqi missile attack. " Mr Cowen told the Dáil.
In Brussels, a second day of intensive consultations at NATO yesterday failed to end one of the worst crises in the alliance's 53-year history.
France, Germany and Belgium are refusing to lift their veto of US-backed plans to bolster Turkish defences against a possible Iraqi missile attack.
Ambassadors from the 19 NATO countries met for only 20 minutes yesterday before ending the session.
