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A
warning that tankers could be used to attack Jewish sites
worldwide remains in effect
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WASHINGTON,
June 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. authorities warned
that terrorists could launch a fuel tanker attack on U.S. interests at
home and abroad, notably Jewish targets, although officials reportedly
were backing away Saturday, June 22, from an earlier report that the
city of Las Vegas was a prime target.
Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents have “received uncorroborated
information that terrorists may be interested in using fuel tanker
trucks for attacks against U.S. interests in the United States or
overseas, notably against Jewish schools and synagogues,” FBI
spokesman Paul Bresson said.
Emphasizing
that most of the information was uncorroborated or unconfirmed,
another spokesman, Bill Carter, said the warning had nevertheless been
passed on to law enforcement agencies “out of an abundance of
caution.”
Despite
the alleged threat, Jewish organizations urged congregations to attend
their synagogues as usual on the Jewish sabbath, which runs from
sunset Friday to the same time Saturday.
“If
synagogues are open, they should remain open,” said Myrna Shinbaum,
a spokeswoman for the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group.
She
said the organization was advising synagogues to have members call 911
if they spotted fuel trucks approaching.
Earlier
Friday, June 21, the FBI had been weighing the seriousness of warnings
that terrorists were planning an Independence Day attack on Las Vegas,
Nevada, after a man said he intercepted a cell phone conversation in
Arabic last week in which such an attack was discussed.
U.S.
news media reported Friday that Lebanese-American Michael Hamdan, a
resident of Las Vegas, reported overhearing a conversation in Arabic
on his cell phone plotting the July 4 attack.
He
told officials that an anonymous voice declared: "We are here in
the city of corruption, the city of prostitution and gambling, the
city of the unbelievers, and they are talking about freedom. We are
going to hit them on the day of freedom."
CNN
reported however, that officials after four and a half hours of
questioning, determined Hamdan was not credible, saying he failed a
lie detector test administered by authorities.
"The
results of the investigation to date do not substantiate these
allegations, and the FBI has determined that this information is not
credible," said Ellen Knowlton, special agent in charge of the
Las Vegas FBI office, in a statement reported on the cable news
network.
Hamdan,
54, told the media he failed the lie-detector test.
“They
told me everything was OK, but there was some uncertainty about a few
things,” he said.
The
report of a possible Independence Day attack tapped into a deeply-held
fear in the United States: more than half the U.S. public believes
that a terrorist attack could occur on July 4th, according to a Time
magazine/CNN poll released Friday.
Of
57% of people surveyed who believed an attack was a definite
possibility, 13% said they thought an attack was very likely compared
with 44% who said it would be somewhat likely, according to the poll.
Seventy-one
percent of Americans also said the creation of a cabinet-level
security department would make the United States more secure from
terrorist attacks, while 24% said it would not.
News
agencies reported this week that New York’s police and fire
departments were on heightened alert after receiving warnings that
terrorists might use emergency services vehicles as bombs, after two
“Middle Eastern” men tried to buy an ambulance with cash.
Citing
law enforcement sources, the New York Daily News reported Thursday the
two men had tried to purchase the vehicle earlier this month at a New
Jersey outlet specializing in replica ambulances and police cars.
When
they tried to pay in cash, the owner became suspicious and the two men
finally left without leaving identification.
The
owner alerted the authorities, who in turn warned city law enforcement
officials, the newspaper said.
