Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has been on alert for a mass-casualty strike by Al Qaida.

Officials said the administration of President Barack Obama ordered an alert around major airports to protect against the arrival of Al Qaida operatives.

Officials said the administration has been warned of an Al Qaida bombing
of passenger jets over the next few days. They said the plotters might have
prepared bombs in Al Qaida strongholds in Syria and Yemen.

The officials said the security campaign focused on flights from Europe,
Africa and the Middle East.

“We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies
and are consulting the aviation industry,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh
Johnson said. “These communications are an important part of our commitment
to providing our security partners with situational awareness about the
current environment and protecting the traveling public.”

In a statement on July 2, Johnson acknowledged enhanced security at
foreign airports with direct flights to the United States. The secretary did
not elaborate on the measures by the Transportation Security Administration.

“I have directed TSA to implement enhanced security measures in the
coming days at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United
States,” Johnson said. “We will work to ensure these necessary steps pose as
few disruptions to travelers as possible.”

Over the last few years, the U.S. intelligence community reported plots
by Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to install non-metallic bombs on U.S.
passenger and cargo aircraft. Officials said AQAP could be coordinating with
and developing advanced explosives with Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant as well as Nusra Front for the Defense of Levant.

“People should not overreact to it or over-speculate about what’s going
on, but there clearly are concerns centered around aviation security that we
need to be vigilant about,” Johnson said later on U.S. television.

  homeland security, ISIL, Jeh Johnson, July 4 alert: U.S. warns major international airports of Al Qaida threat to passenger jets, Nusra Front