DTN News - AL-QAEDA PAKISTAN CONNECTION: Feds Watching Possible Terror Plot For NY, D.C.
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 8, 2011: CBS News has learned that officials Thursday are very concerned about new information that there could be a terror strike on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and this new potential plot could target New York or Washington, D.C.
According to CBS News correspondent Bob Orr, this threat is "specific and credible but unconfirmed," meaning that intelligence agencies across the government has picked up a threat stream from overseas, and that there is a full court press by the FBI, CIA and others to refute or corroborate the information.
Sources told CBS News that the threat specifically has come from Pakistan, which is home to terror groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, the organization behind the failed Times Square bombing attempt.
A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that operatives are acting on Osama bin Laden's wishes to time an attack to the anniversary.
While the report is unconfirmed, a number of officials say that there are enough elements lined up to have them concerned about this threat stream more so than the others they have seen in recent days.
A Federal source told CBS News that FBI and intelligence authorities are currently tracking two distinct threat streams -- one involving a car bombing threat in New York or Washington and a separate threat against bridges and tunnels in New York. It is unknown if there is a correlation between the two threats.
A White House official told CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller that President Obama was briefed about the threat Thursday morning and had been updated all day. "The United States government has already significantly enhanced its security posture in advance of the 9/11 anniversary to protect the country against possible terrorist threats," said the official. "Nevertheless, the President directed the counterterrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information."
White House officials said there were no plans to change Obama's travel schedule on Sunday in light of the threat. The president is scheduled to mark the 9/11 anniversary with stops at New York's ground zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. He will also deliver remarks Sunday night at a memorial concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
"It's accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information," Homeland Security Department spokesman Matt Chandler said in a statement. "As we always do before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days."
The U.S. has not raised its official terror threat level.
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