Gibbons says U.S. intelligence still on high terrorism alert

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 9:47 a.m.

With the war well under way in Iraq, U.S. intelligence networks continue to work overtime to thwart possible terrorist attack attempts, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., said.

Expectations in the intelligence community remain high that terrorists might attempt an attack now that the war with Iraq has begun, Gibbons, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said. Terrorists may consider the war a distraction for U.S. officials who are responsible for homeland security, he said.

Gibbons said he was "pleasantly surprised" no attack had occurred thus far. Intelligence agencies are doing their jobs well, he said.

Gibbons receives a daily classified briefing as a member of the Intelligence panel, a rough, less-detailed version of the early-morning briefing President Bush receives. The briefings have included some specific information about possible terrorist plots that were thwarted, Gibbons said. Authorities have found materials that may have been destined for attacks, such as chemicals, electronic equipment and dynamite, Gibbons said. He could not elaborate.

"Our government continues to intercept, disrupt and shut down" terrorist plots against targets in the United States and abroad, Gibbons said.

News about such interceptions is not likely to filter to the public in most cases because it would jeopardize intelligence sources, Gibbons said.

United States installations abroad, like embassies or corporations and especially military bases and troops, are more likely to be targets than domestic sites, because foreign sites are typically harder to protect, Gibbons said.

Gibbons, an early and leading advocate in Congress for the creation of the Homeland Security Department, said he was pleased with the department's early progress in keeping the public on alert. But he added that it could take years for the department to be fully operational as it was envisioned, as a sophisticated analyzer of intelligence and coordinator of a broad array of federal agencies.