just kidding...

[nostatic]

WASHINGTON, May 28 - The F.B.I. issued an urgent bulletin to several cities on Friday that warned of the prospect of an imminent terrorist attack but retracted the alert hours later, after the intelligence proved unfounded, officials said.

The alert went to law enforcement officials in two or three cities to warn of intelligence that indicated the prospect of an attack in the next 24 hours, officials said. Officials would not give the names of the cities.

A federal official in New York City, when asked about the warning, said he was unaware of the city's having received any such notification.

A law enforcement official at another city, who insisted that he and the city not be named, said authorities there had received a call late in the day from the Federal Bureau of Investigation alerting them to the possibility of an "imminent" attack there. Later, however, the FBI called to withdraw the warning.

The official, citing recent questions about the credibility of the terrorist intelligence from the bureau, said, "It's getting harder and harder to defend them."

The bureau said that "given the potential imminence of the threat," it contacted the officials immediately, even as the reliability of the threat intelligence was being investigated. Further analysis found that "the original interpretation of imminence was unfounded" and that the potential target was probably outside the United States, the bureau said.

Some law enforcement officials described the alert as a draft that was not supposed to have been disseminated. Other officials, however, defended the decision to put out the information, even as its reliability was unknown.

"This was a threat that was serious and it was of concern," a senior law enforcement official said. "There was a simultaneous effort to vet the information and disseminate it to the proper people. You like to have the luxury of time, but sometimes you just don't."

The alert was issued two days after Attorney General John Ashcroft warned at a news conference that the United States had received credible intelligence that Al Qaeda was planning to attack the United States in the coming months. Some federal officials and terrorism experts questioned the credibility and the timing of the announcement, noting that much of Mr. Ashcroft's information had been widely disseminated for months.

Representative Christopher Cox, the California Republican who is chairman of the homeland security committee, said he found it regrettable that Tom Ridge, the homeland security secretary, was not with Mr. Ashcroft for the news conference and suggested that the announcement might have averted required consultation between agencies on domestic threats.

Late Friday, apparently in an effort to counter the perception of a split, Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Ridge put out a joint statement saying that "we are working together" to deter terrorist attacks.Citing many high-profile events over the summer, the statement said, "Credible intelligence from multiple sources indicates that Al Qaeda plans to attempt an attack on the United States during this period."

[tabs]

Damed if you do damed if you don't.

1. If you say there might be an event and it doesn't happen...your crying wolf

2. If you don't say anything and something happens...then you should have warned us..possibly to prevent, possibly to save lives

ITS A NO WIN SITUATION. U can't please everybody.


SO NOSTATUS if U can do a better job than why don't you apply for it....

[nostatic]

I would, but I don't like to travel.

The point is the apparent lack of coordination between Ridge and Ashcroft. The recurrent theme out of the 9/11 hearings (other than the posturing and hyperbole from each side) was that there are serious communication problems between agencies. One would like to think that these issues are being addressed. But this last incident makes it apparent that either fixes aren't working, or that there still are big turf battles going on (which is what I suspect).

It isn't about whether they are right or wrong...its about the process and communication.

[Burnin' oil]

"Credible intelligence from multiple sources indicates that Al Qaeda plans to attempt an attack on the United States during this period."

No duh. I am sure AQ "plans" to "attempt" all kinds of things from now until eternity. I do not understand the rational behind the repeated warnings of posible attacks. I would prefer to recieve a single, blanket warning, "Terrorists may attack at any time at any location but we are doing everything we can to stop them." The only time I would want a specific warnign would be when a specific target has been identified. And you would think that Ridge and Ashcroft could at least have lunch together every week or so to discuss these things. . .

[Neilk]

Originally posted by Burnin' oil
[B And you would think that Ridge and Ashcroft could at least have lunch together every week or so to discuss these things. . . [/B]

Ashcroft is too busy covering nude statues or figuring out ways to bypass the Constitution.

[Icemaster]

Or prosecuting Tommy Chong for selling bongs....