Author: Eileen Sullivan
-
AP source: Specific, unconfirmed threat received to NYC / DC
WASHINGTON — Counterterrorism officials said Thursday they are investigating a credible but unconfirmed terror threat involving New York or Washington.The threat was so specific, and coming at a time of already heightened security just days before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, that it could not be ignored, a counterterrorism official told The…
-
AP Exclusive: Color-coded terror alerts may end
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department is proposing to discontinue the color-coded terror alert system that became a symbol of the country’s post-9/11 jitters and the butt of late-night talk show jokes. The 8-year-old system, with its rainbow of five colors — from green, signifying a low threat, to red, meaning severe — became…
-
State dinner crashers stopped near White House
WASHINGTON — The White House party crashers, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, were stopped in a limo near the White House Wednesday evening as President Barack Obama was holding his second official state dinner. The limo driver ran through a red light around 8 p.m., just blocks from the White House and was stopped by a…
-
U.S. has yet to verify suspect’s claimed terror training
WASHINGTON — U.S. counterterrorism officials fanned out across two continents to unravel the failed Times Square bombing Wednesday, but they have been unable so far to link the suspect to any terrorist group or training camp, law enforcement officials said. Faisal Shahzad was cooperating with authorities for a third day, but investigators remained uncertain whether…
-
AP sources: Bomber trained at Pakistan terror camp
WASHINGTON — Law enforcement officials say the Times Square suspect attended a terror training camp in Pakistan. Faisal Shahzad was arrested late Monday for trying to blow up an SUV two days earlier. One official said Tuesday that Shahzad told the FBI about his training. Attorney General Eric Holder said Shahzad was providing valuable information…
-
Obama wants former top Army intel officer at TSA
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said he wants a former senior Army official with a career in intelligence to lead the Transportation Security Administration. The president announced his choice, retired Maj. Gen. Robert Harding, on Monday. The decision to appoint someone with an extensive intelligence background comes after the attempted Christmas airliner attack. That attempt,…
-
Obama orders review of air safety
WASHINGTON • President Barack Obama said Monday that he has ordered a review of the nation’s watch-list system and of its air safety regulations following a Christmas Day attack on a U.S. airliner. As an al-Qaida group claimed responsibility for the assault, the president said he has directed his national security team to keep up…
-
Review finds 9/11 Potomac exercise was ill-advised
WASHINGTON — Holding a training exercise near the Pentagon on Sept. 11 this year was ill-advised, but it did not violate Coast Guard policies, an internal review found. The Coast Guard review, obtained by The Associated Press, looked into the events and actions that led to false news reports of gunshots on the Potomac River…
-
Officials warned of fake US intelligence e-mail
WASHINGTON — E-mail purporting to be from the Homeland Security Department’s intelligence division were fake and contained malicious software, the department warned other agencies. The e-mails originated from Internet addresses in Latvia and Russia, according to a three-page alert from the Homeland Security Department’s counterintelligence unit. The document was obtained Monday by The Associated Press.…
-
Bush satellite program scrapped
WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano killed a program begun by the Bush administration that would use U.S. spy satellites for domestic security and law enforcement.In an announcement Tuesday, Napolitano said she made the decision after a five-month review of the program. After consulting local officials, Napolitano said the department should focus on other…