FBI warns of risk of al-Qaida 'spectacular' attack
A worker walks past a picture of a victim of the 9/11 attacks at Ground Zero in New York City this week.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 — Two days after intelligence experts said an audiotaped threat indicated terror mastermind Osama bin Laden was still alive, the FBI has warned that al-Qaida is likely to attempt a “spectacular” attack intended to inflict large-scale casualties and damage the U.S. economy. The warning was unusual because of its dire language, but NBC’s Pete Williams reported that the alert was not based on any new alarming information, and officials described it as the latest in a regular series of warnings its sends out to local law enforcement officers.
THE FBI LAW enforcement bulletin circulated Thursday to officials nationwide contains no information about the timing, location or method of a possible attack.
“Sources suggest al-Qaida may favor spectacular attacks that meet several criteria: High symbolic value, mass casualties, severe damage to the U.S. economy and maximum...