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There's no evidence of recent
surveillance
The Jersey Journal
By Timothy Williams
Associated Press writer
August 04, 2004
NEW YORK - Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom
Ridge, standing in a midtown Manhattan building targeted by
al-Qaida, declared yesterday that the danger of a terrorist
strike on financial institutions is real, even if some
intelligence is based on old information.
"The casings that we referenced on Sunday were updated as
recently as January of this year," Ridge said at the Citigroup
Center in midtown Manhattan.
"Al-Qaida often plans well in advance. We also know that they
like to update their information before a potential attack, so I
don't want anyone to disabuse themselves of the seriousness of
this information simply because there's some reports that much of
it is dated, (that) it might be two or three years old. This is a
resilient organization that does its homework."
Ridge acknowledged, however, that "there's no evidence of
recent surveillance" on the five targeted financial
institutions.
Citing photographs, drawings and written documents, the
government announced Sunday that terrorists had observed
Citigroup and the New York Stock Exchange in New York, the
International Monetary Fund and World Bank buildings in
Washington, and Prudential Financial Inc.'s headquarters in
Newark.
Ridge raised the terror threat level for financial
institutions in the three cities to orange - high alert, the
second highest level on the government's five-point spectrum. New
York City has been at orange alert since the Sept. 11, 2001,
World Trade Center attacks.
Officials have since acknowledged that the information came
largely from a Pakistani computer engineer captured last month
and that most of the intelligence was amassed in 2000 and 2001.
No timetable for potential attacks was specified.
Asked about the timing of the government's disclosure, Ridge
said, "We don't do politics in the Department of Homeland
Security."
Ridge also said the government had no evidence to suggest that
the detailed information gleaned by al-Qaida about the buildings
had been obtained from operatives who had once worked in the
buildings.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday brushed aside the suggestion
that the intelligence was outdated and that the city overreacted
in enacting new security measures - which include the closure of
streets around Grand Central Terminal, the banning of trucks from
some bridges and tunnels, and random searches of trucks passing
landmarks or traveling on major thoroughfares.
"The only thing you ever know about security measures is when
you didn't take enough," Bloomberg said on the "Today" show.
"Some of this information is old, but what is clear is it has
been updated and more of it became available to the intelligence
community on Friday."
Security remained tight at the Citigroup building, where Ridge
met privately with Bloomberg, Gov. George Pataki, Police
Commissioner Raymond Kelly, and representatives from some of the
city's largest financial firms.
Outside the 59-story tower, heavily armed police officers kept
a watchful eye as employees lined up to have their bags and ID
cards checked before being allowed in the building.
"If this is what it takes to be safe, so be it," said
receptionist Linda Sharpe, 27, who had her purse searched before
she was allowed into the building.
The police presence remained high yesterday around the other
targeted buildings as well. Workers had to make their way past
officers with body armor and automatic weapons and were
confronted with ID checks and bag searches.
In Newark, the city added concrete barricades at the 24-story
Prudential building, where about 1,000 employees work.
Sand-filled barriers blocked off the lane in front of Newark Penn
Station where buses, taxis and cars had previously been allowed
to park while picking up or dropping off passengers.
Officials in Washington said they would block portions of
Independence and Constitution avenues.
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