The Hindu : International : FBI hunt on for terror connections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 13, 2006

International

International

FBI hunt on for terror connections

Dan Glaister

Los Angeles: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking into possible connections between the men arrested in London and people in the U.S.

In a round of television interviews, the White House Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend confirmed that ``there are leads that the FBI is running''.

Senior intelligence officials told the Washington Post that some of the alleged plotters had made telephone calls to the U.S.

Chasing leads

Other sources said that in the days before the arrests in London, the FBI has sent hundreds of agents across the U.S. to chase down leads from British intelligence. But sources said none of the suspected plotters had travelled to the U.S.

The Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Republican Congressman Peter King, told ABC television that authorities were concerned about the five members of the cell unaccounted for.

``They are on the loose,'' said Mr. King. ``These are desperate, vicious people, who have a good degree of sophistication. And they're out there, if nothing else, they're available for future operations. The more deadly threat is that there is a plan B that they would be able to implement.''

The list of U.S. destinations thought to be targets of the plot included New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago, sources said.

Authorities did their best to assure an alarmed public that it was safe to fly.

In common with scenes from Britain that played constantly on U.S. television, U.S. airports saw large queues and delays. By Friday most of the delays had eased.

The Department of Homeland Security raised the threat level to red on Thursday, the highest level, for flights to and from the U.K.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International