raised terror alert based on false data

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/US/terror030213_falsealarm.html

False Alarm?
Terror Alert Partly Based on Fabricated Information

By Brian Ross, Len Tepper and Jill Rackmill

Feb. 13 

‹ A key piece of the information leading to recent terror alerts was
fabricated, according to two senior law enforcement officials in Washington
and New York. 

The officials said that a claim made by a captured al Qaeda member that
Washington, New York or Florida would be hit by a "dirty bomb" sometime this
week had proven to be a product of his imagination.

The informant described a detailed plan that an al Qaeda cell operating in
either Virginia or Detroit had developed a way to slip past airport scanners
with dirty bombs encased in shoes, suitcases, or laptops, sources told
ABCNEWS. The informant reportedly cited specific targets of government
buildings and Christian or clerical centers.

"This piece of that puzzle turns out to be fabricated and therefore the
reason for a lot of the alarm, particularly in Washington this week, has
been dissipated after they found out that this information was not true,"
said Vince Cannistraro, former CIA counter-terrorism chief and ABCNEWS
consultant. 

It was only after the threat level was elevated to orange ‹ meaning high ‹
last week, that the informant was subjected to a polygraph test by the FBI,
officials told ABCNEWS.

"This person did not pass," said Cannistraro.

According to officials, the FBI and the CIA are pointing fingers at each
other. An FBI spokesperson told ABCNEWS today he was "not familiar with the
scenario," but did not think it was accurate.

Despite the fabricated report, there are no plans to change the threat
level. Officials said other intelligence has been validated and that the
high level of precautions is fully warranted.

New Yorkers Taking Police Presence in Stride

In New York, police are out in force in the subways, at train stations and
airports and at the bridge and tunnel crossings into the city with radiation
detectors and gas masks. In a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg said 16,000 law enforcement officials trained to combat terrorism
were deployed in the city. Air patrols have also returned to New York.

"We are constantly changing what we're doing so no one can predict what
instruments we'll be using and where we'll be going," Bloomberg said. The
mayor stressed that while people should be vigilant, they should also be
aware that New York City has been on code level orange for 17 months ‹ since
the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center.

New Yorkers, and people around the country, should not be frozen by fear and
must carry on with their daily lives, the mayor said. New York Gov. George
Pataki said it is important for people to be alert to anything suspicious
around them, but that they should not spread rumors that could create panic.

ŒThreat Is Still There¹

"By no means do people believe the threat has evaporated," said Cannistraro.
"The threat is still there, the question really is the timing and when this
is going to happen."

It's not the first time a captured al Qaeda operative has made up a huge
story and scared a lot of people.

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