ATTACK
continued from page 5
sagging. Administration officials re
jected the charge.
FBI Director Robert Mueller urgec
Americans to be vigilant and circu
lated photos of seven suspected al
Qaida associates, six of whos<
names and pictures previously hac
been released.
The seventh is a 25-year-old Cali
fornia man who converted to Islan
in his teens, and, according tc
Mueller, trained in al-Qaida'
Afghan camps and has served as ;
translator for the terrorists.
Adam Yahiye Gadahn and the si:
others are "known to have a desire
and the ability to undertake plan
ning, facilitation and attack against
the United States, whether it be
within the United States itself or
overseas," Mueller said. Authorities
1 said they are unsure whether the sev
en are still here.
The FBI also has established a
: 2004 Threat Task Force that is coor
dinating intelligence collection and
analysis, re-examining older intelli
gence and working with state and lo
1 cal law enforcement.
’ And the attorney general an
* nounced the resumption of an inter
1 view program designed to gather in
telligence to disrupt terrorist plots. A
[ previous interview program, which
targeted thousands of Iraqi men liv
ing in the United States in advance
of the war, proved controversial and
"I just don't think my job
is to worry about what
skeptics say.... My job is
to do everything I can to
protect the American
people and to help the
American people
protect themselves."
John Ashcroft
U.S. Attorney General
some experts questioned its value.
Officials offered scant detail, say
ing interviews will be driven by in
telligence needs. "We're not limiting
our scope in terms of a pre-designat
ed group of individuals," an FBI offi
cial said, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
Government authorities are
mindful that al-Qaida is seeking re
cruits who can pass as Europeans, re
cruiting Muslim converts inside tar
get countries, and directing its
operatives travel with family to low
er their profile, Ashcroft said. "Al
Qaida is a resilient and adaptable or
ganization known for altering tactics
in the face of new security meas
ures," he said.
Allies of Sen. John Kerry of Massa
chusetts, the Democratic presidential
candidate, questioned whether there
was a political cast to Wednesday's
grim announcement. In a conference
call organized by the Kerry campaign,
the heads of the International Associ
ation of Fire Fighters and Internation
al Brotherhood of Police Officers said
the intelligence cited Wednesday had
been known for weeks — an assertion
acknowledged by White Flouse
spokesman Scott McClellan.
"I find it incredible that it's only
now that's it's going to be brought
forth," said Harold Schaitberger,
whose firefighter association has en
dorsed Kerry. "And I do find it awful
ly convenient and suspicious that it
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the president's recent message to the
nation as well as his troubling,
plummeting poll number."
Kerry and Democrats on Capitol
Hill steered clear of a similar asser
tion but charged that the adminis
tration is underfunding homeland
security efforts.
Ashcroft shrugged off the criti
cism. "I just don't think my job is to
worry about what skeptics say," he
said. "My job is to do everything I
can to protect the American people
and to help the American people
protect themselves."
The concern about an attack dur
ing a political convention or other
high-profile event may be
overblown, a U.S. intelligence offi
cial said. Al-Qaida planners "are
aware of holidays and symbolic
events that have importance to the
United States, no doubt about it, but
they are going to strike when they
feel they can achieve the most suc
cess," the official said, speaking on
condition of anonymity. "They are
quite aware of security measures be
ing stepped up."
Still, the official said the threat is
real. "Certainly, there's no reason
whatsoever to be less concerned,
particularly as we approach the pres
idential election."
Even as officials issued their warn
ings, they sought to assure the pub
lic that security precautions have
been taken.
Mueller said "extraordinary" steps
have been taken for the political
conventions and G-8 summit.
Police in New York, Los Angeles
and Boston stressed that there was no
credible information suggesting an
imminent attack in their cities.
(c) 2004, The Dallas Morning News.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services. Dallas Morning
News correspondent G. Robert Hillman
contributed to this report
CAMPUS
BUZZ
Thursday
• Faculty/Staff Fitness Walk, Turf Field,
Student Recreation Center, noon-1 p.m.
The first 100 registrants get a free gift.
• Senior Send-Off 2004, EMU Amphitheater,
2-4 p.m.
• Freeman Lecture entitled "Together-in-Differ
ence: Beyond Diaspora, Into Hybridity,”
Browsing Room, Knight Library, 4 p.m.
• Choral Concert, Beail Concert Hall, 8 p.m.
Today’s crossword solution
Please RECYCLE tkie paper.«