Al-Qaida plans to 'hit US hard'

The United States was gripped by new fears of a terrorist attack today after warnings that al-Qaida planned to launch an assault in the coming months.

Seven al-Qaida suspects were identified as posing a “clear and present danger” to the US by officials who appealed for help in tracking them down.

Intelligence showed that the terror network planned to “hit the US hard”, possibly during one of a number of forthcoming high-profile events, said Attorney General John Ashcroft.

“Credible intelligence from multiple sources indicates that al-Qaida plans to attempt an attack on the United States in the next few months,” Mr Ashcroft said last night.

“This disturbing intelligence indicates al-Qaida’s specific intention to hit the US hard,” he added at a joint news conference with FBI Director Robert Mueller in Washington.

Mr Ashcroft went on: “Just after New Year, al-Qaida announced openly that preparations for an attack on the United States were 70% complete.

“After the March 11 attack in Madrid, an al-Qaida spokesman announced that 90% of the arrangements for an attack on the United States were complete.”

Mr Ashcroft said al-Qaida believed that the Madrid train bombings, which killed nearly 200 people, had “advanced their cause”.

He said: “Al-Qaida may perceive that a large scale attack in the United States this summer or fall (autumn) would lead to similar consequences.”

He said forthcoming events, including the G8 summit and the political party conventions, would prove an “attractive target” for terrorists.

“We ask our fellow citizens to be on the lookout for individuals and in specific for each of these seven individuals that are associated with al-Qaida.

“They all are sought in connection with the possible terrorist threats in the United States, they all pose a clear and present danger to America, they all should be considered armed and dangerous.”

The whereabouts of the six men and one woman were unclear.

Despite the new warnings there was no indication that the terror threat level would be raised from yellow – or elevated – where it currently stands.

Mr Ashcroft warned that al-Qaida was seeking new recruits and that the organisation may be trying to infiltrate young Middle Eastern extremists into the US.

He said ideal operatives may be in their late 20s or early 30s and travel with a family to make them less suspicious.

“Our intelligence confirms that al-Qaida is seeking recruits who can portray themselves as Europeans,” Mr Ashcroft added.

The FBI has developed a 2004 Threat Task Force to counter the current threat.

Some 84 national joint terrorism groups have been requested to gather and report more intelligence to the task force.

Mr Ashcroft insisted that America was “winning the war on terror”.

He added: “But we should never forget that it is a war. Fighting terrorists is a tough business.”

Mr Mueller showed the faces of the seven suspects to the cameras.

He said: “Over the next few months we have reason to believe that there will be a heightened threat to United States’ interests around the world.

“Unfortunately we currently do not know what form the threat may take.”

He said it was essential to locate the seven suspects.

He named them as Amer El-Maati, Aafia Siddiqui, Adnan G El Shukrijumah, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Adam Yahiye Gadahn, Abderraouf Jdey and Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani.

Fazul Abdullah Mohammed was indicted on September 17, 1998, in New York for his alleged involvement in the bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Nairobi on August 7, 1998.

Speaking earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said there had been “for the past several weeks a continuous stream of reporting that talks about the possibility of attacks on the United States but not unlike what we’ve seen for the past several years”.

He said: “Every day we take a look at the overall threat reporting that we receive.

“There’s not a consensus within the administration that we need to raise the threat level.”

But he added: “At some of the higher profile events, you had better believe there will be additional security.”

Beginning with Saturday’s dedication of the new Second World War memorial in Washington, the summer presents a number of high-profile targets in the US.

They include the G8 summit in Georgia next month, the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July and the Republican National Convention in August in New York City.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department also are concerned about so-called soft targets such as shopping malls.

Of special concern is the possibility that terrorists may possess and use a chemical, biological or radiological weapon that could cause much more damage and casualties than a conventional bomb.

On Tuesday, the British think-tank, the International Institute of Strategic Studies, warned that al-Qaida has 18,000 terrorists waiting to strike in Europe and the US, preferably with weapons of mass destruction.

It said in its annual survey of world affairs that Osama bin Laden’s network appears to be operating in more than 60 nations, often in concert with local allies.

Although about half of al-Qaida’s top 30 leaders have been killed or captured, it has an effective leadership, with bin Laden apparently still playing a key role, it said.