Government Warns of Terrorist Threat Against Specific Buildings in New York, Washington, Newark, N.J

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government warned Sunday of possible terrorist attacks against ``iconic'' financial institutions in New York City, Washington and Newark, New Jersey, saying a confluence of chilling intelligence in recent days pointed to a car or truck bomb.

In an unprecedented action, the government named these specific buildings in densely populated areas as among the potential targets:

• Citigroup buildings and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.
• The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank buildings in Washington.
• Prudential financial in northern New Jersey.

``The preferred means of attack would be car or truck bombs,'' Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a briefing with journalists. ``That would be a primary means of attack,'' he said.

The government said the new intelligence indicated the meticulous planning of al-Qaida. Ridge identified explosives as the likely mode of attack, as opposed to a chemical or biological attack or a radiological ``dirty'' bomb.

Ridge said the government's color-coded threat level for financial institutions in just these three cities would be raised to orange, or high alert, but would remain at yellow, or elevated, elsewhere.

The government provided a wealth of detail that it had obtained in the past 36 hours to 72 hours, but a senior intelligence official described it only on condition of anonymity. The official described ``excruciating detail'' and meticulous planning ``indicative of al-Qaida.''

The official said the intelligence gathered from several sources included security in and around these buildings; the flow of pedestrians; the best places for reconnaissance; how to make contact with employees who work in the buildings; the construction of the buildings; traffic patterns; locations of hospitals and police departments; and which days of the week present less security at these buildings.

To illustrate the level of detail included in the intelligence, the official cited these examples: midweek pedestrian traffic of 14 people per minute on each side of the street for a total of 28 people; that some explosives might not be hot enough to melt steel; and that the construction of some buildings might prevent them from falling down.

The official said he had not seen such extraordinary detail in his 24 years in intelligence work.

A U.S. counterterrorism official said the threat information is based in large part on documentary evidence obtained by CIA in successful counterterrorist operations, working independently and in concert with other countries. Some other information also played a part in the warning.

Ridge said it would be up to New York City officials to decide whether to move to the highest level, red. The city has remained on orange since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The threat potential remains through the Nov. 2 presidential elections, Ridge said.

The secretary said the government took the unprecedented step of naming particular buildings because of the level of specificity of the intelligence. ``This is not the usual chatter. This is multiple sources that involve extraordinary detail,'' Ridge said. He said the government decided to notify the public because of the specificity of detail it had obtained.

Ridge acknowledged that protecting these buildings, located in heavily populated areas, would require additional security measures, especially because thousands of cars and trucks travel through these cities daily.

``Car and truck bombs are one of the most difficult tasks we have in the war on terror,'' Ridge said.

Local and state officials were notified earlier in the day and Ridge said new security procedures were already being put in place.

The exchange and the Washington institutions were to open for business Monday.

An NYSE spokesman declined comment on security, but increased measures since the Sept. 11 attacks have included barricades on all sides and checkpoints to enter the building. A Citigroup spokesman cited a company e-mail to employees that said they should expect to see tighter security at all of its New York buildings.

In the capital, the FBI, Secret Service and city police will provide additional security. Messages for Prudential officials were not immediately returned.

A White House spokeswoman, Erin Healy, said the intelligence on the threat was ``very new, coming in during the last 72 hours.''

``The president made the final decision today agreeing with the recommendation of Secretary Ridge to go ahead and raise the threat level in these select areas,'' Healy said.

This was the first time the color-coded warning system had been used in such a narrow, targeted way, Ridge said at a news conference at department headquarters.

``With this kind of information comes action,'' Ridge said. ``This is sobering news.''

Referring to terrorists who are hostile to the United States, Ridge said, ``Iconic economic targets are at the heart of their interest.''

He said workers at the five specific buildings should get guidance from security officers at each site and remain alert as they go to work.

The government's warning came four weeks before the Republican National Convention in New York, which will draw more than 30,000 people, including top government officials and the president.

Ridge sidestepped a question about whether the convention should go ahead -- its main item of business is formally nominating President George W. Bush as the party's candidate in the elections against Democrat John Kerry. Ridge said only that New York already operates at an extraordinary level of security and the city would draw additional protective measures from the government as a national security event.