Golden Gate bridge on 'superheightened' alert

Californian authorities increased patrols on and around the Golden Gate Bridge after learning of a potential terrorist threat 11 months after attacks on New York and Washington.

The bridge was placed on a “superheightened” state of alert after information was shared through an inter-agency coalition, Mary Currie, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District, said last night.

The California Highway Patrol, FBI, US Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies “all aggressively are doing exactly what needs to be done to protect and keep the Golden Gate Bridge secure,” Currie said.

She would not elaborate on the details of the threat or specify the information’s source.

However, the bridge district board’s president, Harold C Brown, told the Contra Costa Times the FBI was gauging the credibility of a threat that terrorists planned to crash an aircraft into the span.

While the military and law enforcement have patrolled the bridge for months, the nature of Sunday’s security boost hasn’t been seen since July, when Spanish authorities recovered a videotape of potential US targets believed to have been filmed by members of the al-Qaida terrorist network.

The footage, filmed before the attacks, included shots of the bridge’s suspension anchors and also featured other American landmarks, including Disneyland, Chicago’s Sears Tower and New York’s Statue of Liberty.

Currie said the increased security was to remain in place at least until today.