April Caldwell
Once again, the nation is on high alert. During a televised press conference on Monday, Attorney General John Ashcroft told Americans that the government has received a “credible” warning. The Justice Department issued a threat advisory to 18,000 law enforcement agencies.
Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller did not give the source of the information. Ashcroft would only repeat, “We believe this threat is credible.”
Ashcroft asked Americans to be patient over the coming weeks because higher security measures may be taken. “We urge Americans in the course of their normal activities to remain alert and to report unusual circumstances and inappropriate behavior to the appropriate authorities,” Ashcroft said.
This warning is the second in October. On Oct. 11, a similar warning was issued stating that we could be facing more terrorist activities over the coming days. Ashcroft said that this new information was obtained from a different source.
The warning did state that the attacks would be within the coming week, but it was not specific as to the nature of the attacks or where they would be taking place.
President Bush said, “We believe that the country must stay on high alert, that our enemies still hate us. Our enemies have no values that regard life as precious. They’re active, and therefore, we’re constantly in touch with our law enforcement officials to be prepared.” However, the President did ask Americans not to stop their daily lives. “The American public must go about their lives. I understand it’s a fine balance,” Bush said.
