Law enforcement and intelligence agencies addressing the current threat and is provided by the department of…

Original warning text

1. THIS PROVIDES THE LATEST ADVISORY FROM U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
   INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES ADDRESSING THE CURRENT THREAT AND IS PROVIDED
   BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICE OF INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY.
   THIS ADVISORY IS BASED UPON PUBLICLY RELEASED INFORMATION AND MAY BE
   SHARED WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION COMMUNITY.
2. RECENT STATEMENTS, APPARENTLY BY AL QAEDA LEADERS, THREATEN ATTACKS
   AGAINST US ECONOMIC INTERESTS. AN AUDIO MESSAGE FROM OSAMA BIN LADEN,
   TAPED ON AN UNDETERMINED DATE, BROADCAST BY AL JAZEERA ON SUNDAY 06 OCT,
   REFERS TO AL QAEDA TARGETING KEY SECTORS OF THE US ECONOMY. ANOTHER SENIOR
   LEADER (BIN LADENS SENIOR DEPUTY, AYMAN AL ZAWAHIR) REITERATED THE THREAT
   IN THE CLOSING LINE OF AN AUDIO TAPED INTERVIEW RELEASED TUESDAY 09 OCT.
   THIS INFORMATION STRENGTHENS PREVIOUS ASSESSMENTS THAT AL QAEDA CONTINUES
   TO PLAN MAJOR ATTACKS AGAINST U.S. INTERESTS. THE FOCUS UPON ECONOMIC TARGETS
   IS CONSISTENT WITH AL-QAEDAS STATED IDEOLOGICAL GOALS AND LONGSTANDING
   STRATEGY, TO UNDERMINE WHAT THEY SEE AS THE BACKBONE OF US POWER, THE ECONOMY.
   STRIKING A PROMINENT U.S. TARGET FOR ECONOMIC AND SYMBOLIC REASONS WOULD HAVE
   IMMEDIATE WORLDWIDE IMPACT.
3. THE COORDINATED RELEASE OF THESE STATEMENTS, COUPLED WITH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF
   ONGOING PLOTTING BY AL QAEDA MEMBERS AND THREAT INFORMATION DESCRIBED BY
   DETAINEES, STRENGTHENS PREVIOUS ASSESSMENTS THAT AL QAEDA CONTINUES TO PLAN
   MAJOR ATTACKS AGAINST US INTERESTS. THE STATEMENTS SUGGEST THAT AN ATTACK MAY
   HAVE BEEN APPROVED, WHILE THE SPECIFIC TIMING IS LEFT TO OPERATIVES IN THE FIELD.
   OUR CONCERNS ARE HEIGHTENED BY COMMENTS FROM AL QAEDA DETAINEES WHO ARE
   INDEPENDENTLY INTERPRETING THESE TAPED REMARKS AS A SIGN OF ATTACK. IN 1998,
   AL QAEDA ISSUED A FATWA (RELIGIOUS RULING) CALLING FOR ATTACKS AGAINST AMERICANS
   WORLDWIDE, APPARENTLY PRESAGING THE 07 AUG 1998 EAST AFRICA EMBASSY BOMBINGS.
   THE CONTENT OF THE STATEMENTS AND THE CONTEXT SURROUNDING THESE THREATS
   REINFORCES OUR VIEW THAT THEY MAY SIGNAL AN ATTACK. ONE SENIOR DETAINEE
   MAINTAINS THAT AL QAEDA WOULD ONLY RELEASE SUCH A STATEMENT AFTER APPROVING
   A SPECIFIC PLAN FOR AN ATTACK. AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE NO INFORMATION ON A
   SPECIFIC TIME, DATE OR LOCATION OF AN ATTACK.
4. OTHER ASPECTS OF THE STATEMENTS REFLECT WHAT WE KNOW OF BIN LADEN AND
   AL QAEDA STRATEGY. IN ADDITION, OTHER RECENT APPEALS IN EXTREMIST CIRCLES,
   SOME PURPORTING TO BE FROM BIN LADEN, URGE MUSLIM YOUTH TO STRIKE U.S. FORCES
   IN KUWAIT, JORDAN, QATAR AND BAHRAIN. THE AL QAEDA ORGANIZATION, WHICH HAS LOST
   ITS SAFE HAVEN IN AFGHANISTAN AND MANY OF ITS LEADERS, IS ATTEMPTING TO
   MANIPULATE THE BROADER ISLAMIC EXTREMIST COMMUNITY TO ATTACK THE UNITED STATES
   AT HOME AND ABROAD.
5. THE FOCUS ON ECONOMIC TARGETS IS CONSISTENT WITH AL QAEDAS STATED IDEOLOGICAL
   GOALS AND LONGSTANDING STRATEGY. THE 11 SEP ATTACKS AND COMMENTARY ON THESE
   ATTACKS BY BIN LADEN AND OTHERS INDICATE HOW CENTRAL ECONOMIC TARGETS ARE TO
   THIS STRATEGY. THE GROUPS LEADERS HAVE SAID THAT THEY AIM TO UNDERMINE WHAT
   THEY SEE AS THE BACKBONE OF US POWER, THE ECONOMY. OUR ADVERSARY IS TRYING TO
   PORTRAY AMERICAN INFLUENCE AS BASED ON ECONOMIC MIGHT AND THEREFORE SEEKS TO
   STRIKE AN ECONOMIC TARGET PROMINENT ENOUGH FOR ECONOMIC AND SYMBOLIC REASONS
   THAT IT WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATE RESONANCE AROUND THE WORLD.
6. RECIPIENTS SHOULD REVIEW AND IMPLEMENT ADDITIONAL PRUDENT STEPS TO DETECT,
   DISRUPT, DETER AND DEFEND AGAINST POTENTIAL ATTACKS AGAINST OUR NATIONS
   CRITICAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND INSTALLATIONS AT HOME AND ABROAD.
7. DUE TO THE LACK OF SPECIFICITY OF METHOD, TARGET AND TIMING, THE HOMELAND
   SECURITY ADVISORY SYSTEM THREAT LEVEL WILL REMAIN AT YELLOW-ELEVATED, AT THIS TIME.
8. U.S.D.O.T. REMINDS THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY TO REPORT INFORMATION CONCERNING
   SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY TO THEIR LOCAL FBI OFFICE THROUGH THE FBI WEBSITE
   HTTP://WWW.FBI.GOV/CONTACT/FO/FO.HTM OR TO THE NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION
   CENTER (NIPC) AT ITS WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.NIPC.GOV/INCIDENT/CIRR.HTM. THE MARITIME
   INDUSTRY SHOULD CONTACT THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER (NRC) TO REPORT SUSPECTED
   AND ACTUAL TERRORIST INCIDENTS AT PHONE: 800 424 8802 OR 202 267 2675.
9. U.S. MERCHANT VESSELS AND CRUISE SHIPS SHOULD BE ON A HEIGHTENED STATE OF SECURITY,
   SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE NATIONAL IMAGERY AND MAPPING AGENCYS (NIMA) BROADCAST
   WARNINGS AND SHOULD REVIEW THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION PROCEDURES FOR ASSISTANCE
   IN NIMA PUBLICATION 117.
10. ALL U.S. FLAG SHIPS REQUIRED BY REGULATION TO FILE AMVER POSITION REPORTS AND
    OPERATING IN THE NORTH ARABIAN SEA, GULF OF OMAN, PERSIAN GULF, GULF OF ADEN,
    RED SEA AND THE SUEZ CANAL ARE REMINDED TO FILE AMVER POSITION REPORTS EVERY
    24 HOURS VICE EVERY 48 HOURS.
11. ALL U.S. FLAG OPERATORS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD THIS ADVISORY TO THEIR SHIPS
    BY THE MOST EXPEDIENT MEANS. THIS ADVISORY WILL SUBSEQUENTLY BE PUBLISHED IN
    THE "WEEKLY NOTICE TO MARINERS" AND MARAD INTERNET WEB SITE
    HTTP://WWW.MARAD.DOT.GOV/HEADLINES/.
12. ALL U.S. FLAG OPERATORS ARE ADVISED THAT THEY CAN CONTACT THE MARITIME
    ADMINISTRATION FOR INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE REGARDING VESSEL OPERATIONS
    ESPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE SECURITY CONCERNS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING
    THIS ADVISORY CONTACT THE MARITIME ADMINISTRATION, OFFICE OF SHIP OPERATIONS,
    CODE MAR-613, ROOM 2123, 400 7TH STREET SW, WASHINGTON, DC 20590;
    PHONE: 202 366 5735, OR BY EMAIL TO [email protected].
13. CANCEL THIS 27 NOV.