US mass transit alert goes to 'orange' (Agencies) Updated: 2005-07-08 07:21
WASHINGTON - The United States put its subways, buses and commuter trains on
high alert after the rush-hour London bombings, moving to code orange for mass
transit amid concern about a possible "copycat attack" by terrorists.
Los Angeles County
sheriff's deputy Shawn Moreno patrols a Los Angeles subway car Thursday,
July 7, 2005. The Bush administration raised the terror alert a notch to
code orange for the nation's mass transit systems on Thursday, responding
to a spate of deadly rush-hour bus and subway bombings in London.
[AP] | From New York to San Francisco, cities
tightened security for local rail and bus lines that carry tens of millions of
Americans daily. Stepped-up safeguards included bomb-sniffing dogs, increased
video surveillance and more police at train and bus stations.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday that authorities
had no evidence of a specific, credible threat against the United States.
However, he said, "we feel that, at least in the short term, we should raise
the level here because, obviously, we're concerned about the possibility of a
copycat attack."
The London attacks were well-coordinated, leading to speculation about
al-Qaida involvement, and U.S. officials were trying to determine
responsibility.
U.S. counterterror officials said they received intelligence last month
dating back to 2004 that al-Qaida was interested in attacking rail systems in
Europe and the United States, including derailing trains or crashing trucks into
them. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the
intelligence is classified, said the report lacked specifics on the date and
location of any potential attacks.
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