World Goes on Terror Alert
ROHAN SULLIVAN
Associated Press Writer
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - The world went on terror alert Wednesday, as the United States warned of truck bombings in Southeast Asia and shut diplomatic missions under threat of attack on the Sept. 11 anniversary.
The State Department and some of America's closest allies closed diplomatic offices in nine countries, all but one of them in Asia or the Middle East. Police and troops with automatic rifles, sometimes backed by armored vehicles, patrolled outside diplomatic compounds.
Jitters over feared terrorism caused increased security at airports, government and private offices - including the world's tallest buildings, Kuala Lumpur's twin towers - American social clubs, tourist spots and other likely targets.
Concerns appeared deepest in Southeast Asia, a region sometimes labeled a second front in the U.S.-led international fight against terrorism because of the presence of al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist groups in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. The United States signed an anti-terrorism pact with the region's government's last month and has sent military trainers to the Philippines.
The Philippine government Wednesday disclosed the United States warned Southeast Asian governments that terrorists could use truck bombs to mark the anniversary.
``Intelligence evaluation indicates that al-Qaida operatives are prepared to launch truck bomb attacks and they are in possession of several tons of ammonium nitrate,'' Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said in the letter to Foreign Minister Blas Ople. ``The intelligence community considers the information credible.''
Six U.S. diplomatic offices in the region - embassies in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam and consulates in Indonesia and Vietnam - were closed Wednesday and most would remain closed indefinitely while security was reassessed, officials said.
Embassies in Pakistan, Malawi, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain closed or shut down services to the public for the day. The embassy in Bahrain posted a statement on its Web site saying the U.S. government had credible indications that further terrorist acts were planned and ``such actions may be imminent and include suicide operations.''
In Afghanistan, a gunman fired at a guard tower at Bagram, the headquarters of U.S.-led forces hunting remnants from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and his supporters, spokesman Col. Roger King said. Soldiers returned fire, but the gunman escaped. In the southeastern city of Khost, unidentified attackers fired two rockets at the airport where U.S. special forces have a base, a provincial official said. No injuries were reported.
King said security for U.S. troops in Afghanistan was not upgraded for the anniversary.
``We think we already have the right systems in place,'' King said, although U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan were told ``to be aware of their surroundings ... and to go about their jobs in a safe manner.''
Battles in the U.S.-led war on terror were fought Wednesday in Pakistan and the Philippines.
About 200 Philippine marines fought Muslim extremists from the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group in a southern Philippine jungle. One marine and two rebels were killed, military officials said.
In Karachi, Pakistani authorities stormed a suspected al-Qaida hide-out and fought a three-hour gunbattle that left two suspects and one bystander - a child - dead and wounded five officers, officials said. Five suspects were captured.
In Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, police fired blank warning shots at a demonstration just yards from the U.S. embassy. The demonstration was unrelated to Sept. 11, but the clash underscored security fears.
Britain and Australia - among the closest U.S. military allies _ either closed their diplomatic offices or otherwise boosted security in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
In East Timor, a former Indonesian territory, Australia closed its High Commission after officials said they had received unconfirmed and ``generic'' terrorist threats.
Worries began in the South Pacific, and followed the sun.
In Australia, which sent troops to Afghanistan and has a sizable Muslim migrant community, police said they were on heightened alert but had received no specific threats.
``It's a time for great vigilance,'' Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson said, but adding that the public should not panic.
Those comments were mirrored in Europe, where officials ordered extra security at airports, government offices and embassies as well as U.S. and NATO military bases. The British government imposed a no-fly zone over central London and closed streets around the U.S. Embassy during commemoration services.
At the 88-story, 1,483-foot Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, about 20 uniformed guards, some with pistols, watched workers and visitors enter through metal detectors installed after a bomb scare last Sept. 12, about 12 hours after the attacks in the United States.
``The whole world is on alert, so why should we be any different?'' said Hanif Ahmad, Petronas' general manager of corporate security.
Tourists lined up as usual to visit the 41st-floor skybridge _ the only part of the buildings not restricted to business tenants.
``If a plane hits the towers, there is nothing we can do,'' Ghassan Nasry, 32, a tourist from Saudi Arabia, told The Associated Press. ``But I am not worried at all. I think Malaysia is a much safer place than America.''
Twenty flights from Britain's two largest airports to the United States were canceled, airport officials said. Airlines earlier reported a drop in demand around Sept. 11.
| 
