Ridge Warns Nation to Remain Vigilant Through Holidays

President Bush’s chief of homeland security, citing “credible” but unspecific threats Monday, asked Americans for the third time since Sept. 11 to be on alert for possible acts of terrorism.

Monday’s warning was based on the possibility of attacks timed to coincide with the upcoming end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as well as the celebration of Jewish and Christian holidays.

U.S. intelligence officials said there were indications that the threats were linked to Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network, but that no specific target, time or place had been identified. The Bush administration has blamed Al Qaeda for the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The administration has said Al Qaeda’s terrorist operatives have been planning counterattacks in response to the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.

Thomas J. Ridge, director of the White House Office of Homeland Security, did not mention any potential link to Al Qaeda or other terrorist group at a news conference held to announce the warning. He said the convergence of upcoming religious holidays, including the end of Ramadan in about two weeks, was the key factor in issuing the new alert.

“The information we have does not point to any specific target either in America or abroad and it does not outline any specific type of attacks,” said Ridge. “We do know that the next several weeks, which bring the final weeks of Ramadan and important religious observations in other faiths, have been times when terrorists have planned attacks in the past.”

Ridge said that a large volume of intercepted communications in recent days alluded to some general threat. “It is just the volume, as well as, obviously, the credibility associated with some of the information we’ve received that led us to have this discussion around which there was no disagreement; we should remind America we’re still at war, we’re still at risk, be vigilant, be aware.”

The warning also was sent out to 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies, Ridge said.

Ridge ruled out any apparent connection between the threats and the weekend suicide bombings in Israel or Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes Monday.

Ridge acknowledged that Bush and his top advisors wavered over issuing the warning, which followed similar alerts Oct. 11 and Oct. 29. But he said Bush decided earlier Monday to alert the public, after law enforcement and intelligence analysts reported that threats monitored in recent days were more numerous and credible than usual.

“It is an art, it’s not a science,” Ridge said about threat assessment. “And it would be so much easier, admittedly, if there were more specifics we could refer to. But there are not. These are shadow soldiers. This is a shadow enemy.”

Ridge agreed that Americans might become jaded or complacent given so many alerts but said the public had a right to know. He said that such knowledge could help prevent future attacks. Ridge again asked Americans to report any “suspicious activity” to authorities.

The FBI, which investigates domestic threats, had no comment. “It was generalized information with a varying degree of reliability,” an FBI spokeswoman said in describing the threats.

Meanwhile, FBI Director Robert Mueller unveiled some details of his previously announced reorganization of the bureau. Some of the changes, he said, were meant to reflect new priorities, such as counter-terrorism and cybercrime. Others would mend some embarrassing shortcomings, such as a lack of internal security that allowed top operative Robert Philip Hanssen to spy for the Soviet Union for so long.

Mueller also named four executive assistant directors who would work directly for him, rather than replace the retiring Thomas Pickard as a single deputy.

“I need to be fully engaged in the day-to-day running of the bureau,” Mueller said.