Reflection mingles with new fear

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A heavily armed Port Authority police officer stands guard next to the North Pool at the World Trade Center memorial site on Friday. (MARY ALTAFFER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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WASHINGTON -- Undaunted by talk of a new terror threat, New Yorkers and Washingtonians wove among police armed with assault rifles and waited with varying degrees of patience at security checkpoints Friday while intelligence officials scrambled to nail down information on a possible al-Qaida strike timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Counterterrorism officials have been working around the clock to determine whether the threat is accurate, and extra security was put in place to protect the people in the two cities that took the brunt of the jetliner attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon a decade ago. It was the worst terror assault in the nation's history, and al-Qaida has long dreamed of striking again to mark the anniversary. But it could be weeks before the intelligence community can say whether this particular threat is real.

Security worker Eric Martinez wore a pin depicting the Twin Towers on his lapel as he headed to work in lower Manhattan on Friday where he also worked 10 years ago when the towers came down. "If you're going to be afraid, you're just going to stay home," he said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, too, made a point of taking the subway to city hall.

Briefed on the threat Friday morning, U.S. President Barack Obama instructed his security team to take "all necessary precautions," the White House said. Obama still plans to travel to New York on Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary with stops that day at the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa.

Washington commuters were well aware of the terror talk.

Cheryl Francis, of Chantilly, Va., said she travels over the Roosevelt Bridge into Washington every day and doesn't plan to change her habits. Francis, who was in Washington on Sept. 11, 2001, said a decade later the country is more aware and alert.

"It's almost like sleeping with one eye open," she said, but she added people need to continue living their lives.

Late Wednesday, U.S. officials received information about a threat that included details they considered specific: It involved up to three people, either in the U.S. or who were travelling to the country; a plan concocted with the help of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri; a car bomb as a possible weapon and New York or Washington as potential targets.

Officials described the information to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive matters. Counterterrorism officials were looking for certain names associated with the threat, but it was unclear whether the names were real or fake.

The intelligence community regularly receives tips and information of this nature. But the timing of this particular threat had officials especially concerned, because it was the first "active plot" that came to light as the country marked the significant anniversary, a moment that was also significant to al-Qaida, according to information gleaned in May from Osama bin Laden's compound.

The U.S. government has long known terrorists see the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and other uniquely American dates as opportunities to strike. Officials have also been concerned that some may see this anniversary as an opportunity to avenge bin Laden's death.

Britain, meanwhile, warned its citizens who are travelling to the U.S. there was a potential for new terror attacks that could include "places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."

Acutely aware of these factors, law enforcement around the country had already increased security measures at airports, nuclear plants, train stations and more in the weeks leading up to Sept. 11. The latest threat, potentially targeting New York or Washington, prompted an even greater security surge in those cities. U.S. embassies and consulates abroad had also boosted their vigilance in preparation for the anniversary.

At Penn Station in New York, transit authority police carried assault rifles and wore helmets and bulletproof vests as they watched crowds of commuters. Police searched passengers' bags as they entered the subway, and National Guard troops in camouflage fatigues moved among riders, eyeing packages.

Retired kindergarten teacher Roseanne Lee was in town from Islip, N.Y., to visit her son and said her taxi was stopped twice at police checkpoints on its way from the Upper East Side to Penn Station. Police looked in the windows of the cab, but did not ask questions, she said. At one checkpoint, police were searching a moving van.

"But I don't care," said Lee, 64. "It's better to be safe. You can't stop doing what you're doing because of these threats. You just have to be careful."

In Washington, police Chief Cathy Lanier warned unattended cars parked in suspicious locations or near critical buildings and structures would be towed.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was "a specific, credible but unconfirmed report that al-Qaida, again, is seeking to harm Americans and in particular, to target New York and Washington."

"Making it public as was done yesterday, is intended to enlist the millions and millions of New Yorkers and Americans to be the eyes and the ears of vigilance," she said Friday morning during a speech at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

That the threat is credible but not corroborated means that the information came from a single source, New York Mayor Bloomberg explained Friday during his weekly WOR radio address.

"Corroboration means you get multiple sources, which increases the likelihood that it's real," he said. "Credible means that it's possible to do."

These sorts of vague descriptions are typical intelligence talk in an environment where tips come from all places and in all shapes -- a stolen diplomatic cable, a satellite image showing tribesmen gathering in an area that's typically isolated, a snatched bit of conversation between two terrorists overheard by a trusted source, a phone number, a document, an email, an airplane ticket.

-- The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 10, 2011 A8