WASHINGTON Ñ The CIA has warned that U.S. installations in the
Middle East remain a target of Al Qaida and Palestinian insurgency groups.
U.S. intelligence sources said Al Qaida has prepared cells in Europe and
the Middle East for attacks on American civilians and military
installations. The sources said the greatest threat is to U.S. facilities in
allied countries and raised the prospect that the Palestinian groups could
also launch attacks.
"American diplomatic and military installations are at high risk Ñ
especially in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey but across the rest of the
world as well," CIA director George Tenet said. "Groups like the Palestine
Islamic Jihad and Hamas have escalated their violence against Israel, and
the intifada [uprising] has rejuvenated once-dormant groups like the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine. If these groups feel that U.S.
actions are threatening their existence, they may begin targeting Americans
directly Ñ as Hizbullah's terrorist wing already does."
Tenet told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that these
attacks could include nonconventional weapons. He said Al Qaida has been
developing advanced biological weapons.
Iraq has been in contact with Al Qaida, Tenet said. But he did not link
Iraq to the Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11.
The CIA director, who reported the arrest of more than 1,000 Al Qaida agents
in 60 countries, said he did not know the whereabouts of Bin Laden but
believed ousted Afghan leader Mullah Omar is still alive.
"Al Qaida leaders still at large are working to reconstitute the
organization and resume its terrorist operations," he said. "We must be
prepared for a long war, and we must not falter."
