bccards
06-24-2003, 10:02 PM
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Associated Press
HOUSTON — Federal homeland security (search) officials have informed Texas law enforcement agencies of intelligence reportedly gathered from suspected Al Qaeda operatives discussing potential terrorism in the state next month.
Homeland security officials are reviewing the information eavesdropped earlier this month from two suspected Al Qaeda operatives discussing potential terrorism in Texas timed for the July Fourth weekend, unnamed officials in Washington told the Houston Chronicle for Tuesday's editions.
"It's important to note at this point federal officials have not determined the threat to be a credible one," Gene Acuna, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry (search), said Tuesday.
"All the sudden now we are talking about Texas as a target and that is not where the conversation started," FBI (search) spokesman Bob Doguim said. "We get reports like this on a pretty regular basis. We do the responsible thing with them. We put them out, we share it and let people know what we are hearing."
Doguim said the information received was very nonspecific and the FBI informed law enforcement agencies, as it does on a routine basis, of the knowledge it had. He said it is not surprising that reports of possible terrorism increase around significant dates, such as the Fourth of July.
"Terrorism organizations would pick a significant date on which to carry out an attack because of the impact it would make," he said. "We also know that terrorist organizations would target what we term 'economic targets,' basically hitting us where it would hurt the most. We also know that the energy sector is a part of that.
"It's sexy to spin it into being Texas. This state is a major player in the oil and gas industry."
But that is not the information the FBI has, Doguim said of the intelligence, which did not specify a target, an exact time or a type of terrorist attack.
"We have to be careful," he said. "We have to take this information and we have to put it in perspective."
Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,90301,00.html)
Associated Press
HOUSTON — Federal homeland security (search) officials have informed Texas law enforcement agencies of intelligence reportedly gathered from suspected Al Qaeda operatives discussing potential terrorism in the state next month.
Homeland security officials are reviewing the information eavesdropped earlier this month from two suspected Al Qaeda operatives discussing potential terrorism in Texas timed for the July Fourth weekend, unnamed officials in Washington told the Houston Chronicle for Tuesday's editions.
"It's important to note at this point federal officials have not determined the threat to be a credible one," Gene Acuna, a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry (search), said Tuesday.
"All the sudden now we are talking about Texas as a target and that is not where the conversation started," FBI (search) spokesman Bob Doguim said. "We get reports like this on a pretty regular basis. We do the responsible thing with them. We put them out, we share it and let people know what we are hearing."
Doguim said the information received was very nonspecific and the FBI informed law enforcement agencies, as it does on a routine basis, of the knowledge it had. He said it is not surprising that reports of possible terrorism increase around significant dates, such as the Fourth of July.
"Terrorism organizations would pick a significant date on which to carry out an attack because of the impact it would make," he said. "We also know that terrorist organizations would target what we term 'economic targets,' basically hitting us where it would hurt the most. We also know that the energy sector is a part of that.
"It's sexy to spin it into being Texas. This state is a major player in the oil and gas industry."
But that is not the information the FBI has, Doguim said of the intelligence, which did not specify a target, an exact time or a type of terrorist attack.
"We have to be careful," he said. "We have to take this information and we have to put it in perspective."
Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,90301,00.html)