Al-Qaida planning US attack soon, claims Ashcroft

Al-Qaida is planning an attack on US soil “in the next few months“, US Attorney General John Ashcroft said today.

Citing “multiple sources“, Mr Ashcroft said Osama bin Laden’s terror group may use a series of high profile events in the coming months to launch a spectacular attack.

He said at a news conference in Washington: “Credible intelligence from multiple sources indicates that al-Qaida plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months.

“This disturbing intelligence indicates al-Qaida’s specific intention to hit the US hard.”

He was accompanied at the press conference by FBI director Robert Mueller.