Terrorist Alert Level Raised In Washington

WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (AFP) - US authorities on Sunday increased the terrorist alert threat level in Washington to "high" following a new warning by New York police of a possible al-Qaeda attack, CNN television reported.
There was no immediate confirmation by the Homeland Security Department, but Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was to hold a press conference at 1800 GMT.
The security advisory has been raised from "elevated" to "high" which is the second highest level on the nationwide terrorist alert. The highest level is "severe".
New York police issued a statement on Saturday night highlighting intelligence that al-Qaeda, which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks was planning new strikes.