Agencies step up security efforts as threat level rises to ‘high’

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said on Friday that federal agencies will take "specific protective measures" to comply with an elevated terrorist threat level.

For the first time in nearly five months, Attorney General John Ashcroft Friday raised the threat level of possible terrorist attacks against the United States from "elevated" to "high" on the nation's color-coded terrorism alert system. The Justice Department administers the system.

"This decision for an increased threat condition designation is based on specific intelligence received and analyzed by the full intelligence community. This information has been corroborated by multiple intelligence sources," Ashcroft said at a press conference with Ridge and FBI Director Robert Mueller. Though Ridge did not elaborate on what specific security measures federal agencies would take, the administration has outlined a general plan for agencies under the orange, or "high" level of the alert system. In such circumstances, agencies must coordinate "necessary security efforts" with state and local law enforcement agencies or appropriate armed forces organizations; take additional precautions at public events; prepare to execute emergency procedures, including moving to an alternate site or dispersing their employees; and restrict access to threatened facilities to essential personnel only.

Ridge said the government will increase security at borders, beef up identification checks and restrict travel near federal facilities and airports.

At his daily press briefing Friday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer gave some examples of how federal agencies were likely to respond to the elevated threat level.

"The Transportation Security Administration screeners at airports around the country are likely to increase the number of random examinations conducted at airport security checks. I think you may anticipate an increased presence of federal air marshals assigned to flights. I think in terms of Customs and their activities, customs and immigration inspectors will be requesting more people-questioning more people more closely as they cross the land border or enter the United States through international airports," he said.

Raising the terror threat level from "elevated" to "high" may not dramatically affect the homeland security-related activities that some local communities are already performing. "I don't think it's going to change our mode of operation," said Bill Berger, police chief of North Miami Beach, Fla., and immediate past president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. "We feel we're as prepared as we can be."

Berger said the terror alert warnings are too "generic."

"We've gone through a mandatory two weeks of training on command incident response.… We've done target hardening. Until we have some specifics, I really can't do anything else," he said.

Ridge said the FBI has been communicating with local law enforcement agencies and that local first responders know how to handle the shift in threat levels appropriately.

"Simultaneous communications are going out as we speak to the 17,000 to 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the country, [and] we've given them some information," Ridge said. "And they are professionals and they know how to act on specific information, and they will."

Ashcroft and Ridge both emphasized the importance of the terror alerts as deterrents to potential terrorists.

"The call that we give today, which Americans have certainly heard before, is based on our knowledge and our conviction that heightened awareness and readiness deters terrorism and saves lives," Ridge said.

Ashcroft said people should not interrupt their work or domestic travel plans because of the elevated risk level.

CNN reported Friday that top military leaders were considering raising the security level at American military bases. The decision to ramp up security on bases is usually left up to local military commanders.

Ashcroft said the intelligence gathered indicated that Al Qaeda might be plotting a terrorist attack on "soft" targets in the United States or American interests abroad to coincide with the end of a Muslim religious observance, known as Haj. Haj refers to the annual pilgrimage Muslims make to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, to perform certain religious rites. The period ends in mid-February.

So-called "soft" or lightly guarded targets include apartment buildings, shopping malls and hotels.

The last time Ashcroft raised the threat level from the yellow, "elevated" level to "high" was Sept. 10, 2002-a day before the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The level reverted to "elevated" two weeks later.

The lowest level of alert is green, followed by blue, yellow, orange and red. Red indicates a "severe risk of terrorist attacks."