« Previous | Main | Next »

'Tis the Season for Terror Threat Warnings

November 16, 2007 3:49 PM

Tistheseason_mn_2 A "write in" threat pulled down off the Internet prompted the Department of Homeland Security to advise law enforcement of a "low credibility" threat to "malls and Jewish schools" in New York, sources tell ABC News.

The threat, specific to New York, is based on fragmentary information that someone in France is teaching young men to use explosives and encouraging these attacks, sources say.

It comes one week after an FBI intelligence report warned of threats to malls in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Both reports come at a time of year when it has become traditional since September 2001 for both federal and regional law enforcement to issue a series of alerts, bulletins and awareness heightening reports.

And federal officials caution that they have sent the reports, despite a lack of credibility, simply to keep local and regional law enforcement informed.

The information circulated today was titled "Virtual Write In Warns of Unsubstantiated Threat to Malls and Jewish Schools in New York."

The source of today's information is significantly different than that of last week's threat information.

That information came from a human source with "indirect access" to al Qaeda who was known to the U.S. intelligence community for several years and deemed reliable in the past. The information, however, was deemed uncertain because it came through a sub-source and may have been obtained "under duress," according to persons familiar with a classified version of that report.

In the aftermath of media accounts, the FBI and DHS noted that they were not able to establish the credibility of the report.

"Al-Qa'ida messaging has clearly stated they intend to attack the U.S. or its interests; however, there is no information to state this is a credible threat," an FBI spokesman said at the time.

In the bulletin issued today, DHS noted, "This threat is deemed non-credible. The author, possibly located in Argentina, likely provided the threat information to create additional hysteria on the heels of last week's media coverage of a threat to malls in Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California."

This post has been updated.

Do you have a tip for Brian Ross and the Investigative Team?

November 16, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (12)

User Comments

We can pretty much assume that the bush administration and neo-cons who approved and paid for propaganda programs, would have associates doing this for them. The FBI and CIA would thus have little to go on...CASE CLOSED NEXT

Posted by: daddy | Nov 16, 2007 5:08:13 PM

We do not need Terrorist's to destroy our Economy. We have Bush and his Administration too do it for us.

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Nov 16, 2007 10:56:18 PM

What good is it anyway? Things will never change as long as the people keep voting. They vote and sit and complain...

People need not only to be heard, they need to take action together instead of reading the news or watching it and discussing it and forgetting it.

Sajjid

Posted by: Sajjid Manuel | Nov 16, 2007 11:01:06 PM



Reading Daddy's posted message highlites why it is difficult to give the public reasonable security warnings.
When information is disseminated it sinoke becomes an opportunity to bash Bush and the system. Thats counterproductive.


Posted by: Robert Cerra | Nov 17, 2007 6:22:06 AM

It never ceases how the Libvs can turn any nnews story into a Bush Bash. Haven't those clown realized that Bush is not running for re-election. He will be in the White House until the next Presidnet, possibly Mrs Bubba, and her Boy husband return there to renew their rentals service for the lincoln Bedroom, the sale of pardons, and possibly get Sandy Burglar to return the stolen papers from his pants and socks to the archives from which he stole them. Then the Libs will be happy, Bubba can go back to working on the young female interns and Mrs Bubba can commence ruining the best medical system in the world. But Libs are Libs, and they cannot help it.

Posted by: TheOldTrooper | Nov 17, 2007 2:15:12 PM

Anybody, that can still support the idiot President, as credible and doing a great job, either needs to have their head examined or is just living in denial.// I have seen monkeys handle situations better than bush. and Just cause, I mock the idiot that does not make me a liberal only anti Bush. rebublicans need to get an education on reality cause they live in a fictious place. I am not a Democrat or a Liberal and I will never be a Republican Again Never ever I love my country too much to vote republican ever again.

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Nov 17, 2007 5:02:55 PM

Osama hates christmas? He hates Jesus and he hates america? Why Osama Why?

Posted by: Larry Thompson | Nov 17, 2007 6:22:34 PM

Bush can hire Blackwater but he still uuses manufactured terror threats to create the fear he desires in order to manipulate the public.

We should rename the White House the Out House. Bush should remove the American flag and put a star and a crescent moon on the front door of the Out House, that used to be called the White. I'm sure he won't let real Americans enjoy their last Christmas before the economic crash without issuing an appropriately fear producing
color coded incident..

Posted by: JL | Nov 17, 2007 8:38:34 PM

By publishing what it discounts as "non-credible", DHS is obviously aiding and abetting the terrorist in Argentina who wants to increase our "hysteria". I think the President should "take care of" this DHS publicist who so blatantly takes care of leaking his secret neocon agenda.

Posted by: Michael E. Maus | Nov 18, 2007 8:05:00 AM

I have a tip for you and your investigative team. Publishing the Bush administration's fake "terror" threat warnings, makes you their propaganda mouthpiece. When are you "journalists" going to deny your corporate overlords and start being journalists again?

Everyone but a distinct and misguided few are sick of George W. Bush and his lies.

Posted by: Allen | Nov 18, 2007 8:58:33 AM

Are these threats real, or just to boost Republican poll numbers? There have been too many deliberate false alarms to tell anymore.

Posted by: Samantha Stickers | Nov 20, 2007 11:30:06 AM

How about this... Has anyone ever heard it's better to be safe than dead? Cause even though there have been so-called false warnings... I would rather think about about what risk there might be before I do something. And those of you who don't are idiots. There is a war going on and anyone can get in this country and screw our world up... remember 9/11? How about lets not bash bush and actually use the heads we were given and do something about it! GOD! I wish people would wake up!

Posted by: Amanda | Nov 20, 2007 8:37:12 PM

Post a comment