New terror warning heightens security across the U.S.
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A man stands guard Sunday outside the U.S. Capitol.
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Airports across the country are ramping up security due to the higher terror threat level.
CNN's Kathleen Koch reports on the terror threat level being raised from elevated to high.
A 'substantial increase' in threat-related intelligence, says Tom Ridge.
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| Security Measures |
New York: Checkpoints at bridges and tunnels.
Los Angeles: Extra patrols at 600 critical locations.
Washington: Airspace restrictions.
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SAN DIEGO, California (AP) -- A newly boosted terror threat level was prompting heavier security Monday at buildings ranging from nuclear plants to shopping malls. Checkpoints for trucks were heightened at bridges including the Golden Gate Bridge and spans into New York City.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned Sunday of possible terrorist strikes more devastating than the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001. He raised the alert on the nation's five-color code from "elevated" (yellow) to "high" (orange.)
But not everyone was taking the warning so seriously. "Some Americans have been kind of lulled back into complacency," said Inspector Kriste Etue of the Michigan State Police's emergency management division.
Jeff Shaw, 42, of Reno, Nevada, commented on the heightened alert at the San Francisco Shopping Mall. "They're like earthquakes. You learn to deal with it," he said. "If it's going to happen, it's going to happen."
Airports and transit hubs across the nation, already crowded with the traditional holiday travel rush, began Sunday to ratchet up security measures in the wake of the raised alert from Washington.
Governors across the country offered the same basic message: Although residents should be vigilant, there was no specific threat against their communities and they should stick to their holiday plans.
"We encourage people to go about their lives. I hope this is yet another false alarm, but we have to be prepared," said Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. He returned to Boston from a family vacation in Utah to deal with the heightened alert, but planned to fly back Monday.
New York mobilized hundreds of extra police officers to patrol in and around locations considered susceptible to attack -- places of worship, landmarks, tourist attractions, Wall Street, subway stations among them.
At the U.S.-Mexico border, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection said it would be conducting more thorough inspections of the 55,000 vehicles that cross from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego each day. Agents were paying close attention to pedestrians, documents and merchandise, and carefully examining trunks and cargo.
Officials also increased security in the waters surrounding the Port of Los Angeles and began random inspections of ships entering the port, Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn said.
At Macy's in downtown Los Angeles, 59-year-old Gilbert Carrasco wasn't troubled by the warning as he did some last-minute shopping for his brother and sister.
"I feel very comfortable. I'm not thinking about that a all," Carrasco said. "The United States hasn't had a major terrorist attack on our soil since September 11."
The FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Force in Philadelphia set up a command post to check out tips, said FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi. Residents who hear or see something suspicious should call 911 if they think a threat is imminent or the FBI if it's something that can wait, she said.
"People shouldn't determine in their own mind whether they think it's significant, they should let us take a look at it," Vizi said.
Patrols were increased immediately at Florida's Port Everglades at Fort Lauderdale, where some 50,000 passengers were on 15 cruise ships, port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said.
Many airports resumed or were planning to resume random vehicle searches, including those for Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Travelers were advised to arrive at airports an hour earlier than usual to get through the additional security.
At Boston's Logan Airport, where the two hijacked planes that hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, originated, officials added more state police at curbs, terminals and along perimeter roads Sunday, Logan spokesman Phil Orlandella said.
Many people said they didn't see what they could do differently.
"I'm scared because they proved two years ago that they can do evil things," said Curtiss Jacobs, who was meeting up with friends for lunch in San Francisco. "But the odds are that it won't happen where I'm standing. You just have to live your life."
Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said that his officers will watch large events this week in Denver, including Christmas shows at the Denver Center of the Performing Arts and the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.
The alert came at a bad time for the nation's retailers, who are hoping for a strong end to what has been an uneven holiday shopping season. Now the fear is that shoppers will stay home.
John Courtney, a Bostonian standing by the Christmas tree in New York's Rockefeller Center on Sunday, said the alert made him "maybe just a little more cautious."
"You can't stop your life because of this. That gives them exactly what they would want," Courtney said.
Copyright 2003 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
