Veterans’ hospitals may be targets

Friday, Aug. 27, 2004 | 11:18 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON -- Al-Qaida may attempt to attack Veterans Affairs hospitals as an alternative to more heavily guarded U.S. military installations, the FBI and Homeland Security Department warn in a new nationwide terrorism bulletin.

Although U.S. authorities say there is no credible intelligence regarding a specific threat against such hospitals, the bulletin said there have been persistent reports of "suspicious activity" at medical facilities throughout the United States.

That includes "possible reconnaissance activities" this year at unspecified military medical facilities in Bethesda, Md., and Aurora, Colo., the bulletin said. Even though later investigation of these two incidents uncovered no links to terrorism, the bulletin urges vigilance at VA hospitals on the part of police and security personnel.

"These facilities may be considered attractive targets due to their association with the military and a perception that such an attack may be more successful than an attack against traditional military targets, which generally maintain a more robust security posture," the bulletin says.

Bethesda, located just outside Washington, is home of the National Naval Medical Center, which is across the street from the sprawling National Institutes of Health. Aurora, located just east of Denver, is home to the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, now being redeveloped into a civilian medical school.

The Department of Veterans Affairs operates 163 hospitals in the United States, with at least one in each of the 48 contiguous states as well as in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. There are also hundreds of VA clinics and nursing homes.

The bulletin was circulated among law enforcement and security personnel nationwide Thursday. The Associated Press obtained a copy today.

There is no information about any kind of a threat to Veteran Administration facilities in Las Vegas, FBI spokesman Special Agent Todd Palmer said.

Palmer said that the local Joint Terrorism Task Force, an FBI-led group of federal, state and local law enforcement, did receive the law enforcement bulletin. Among the agencies that are a part of the task force is the military's Office of Special Investigations, which has a presence at Nellis Air Force Base.

In Las Vegas there are 16 VA health facilities spread out across the valley, local VA spokesman David Martinez said.

"We're spread out so we never really have all that many people at one location," Martinez said, indicating that the facilities would not make for a good target.

Each location does have security officers present, Martinez said.

The largest VA facility in Las Vegas is the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital, located within Nellis Air Force Base.

The hospital is located behind a fence and people and vehicles have to pass through a checkpoint manned by armed military police.

The hospital receives the same level of security as the rest of the base, a Nellis spokeswoman said.

Earlier this month, the FBI warned that al-Qaida might attempt to attack military recruitment centers, which are also less tightly guarded than other military facilities.

The new bulletin repeats a number of previously released indicators of possible terrorist surveillance. These include unusual interest in security measures or access points of buildings; operatives possibly disguised as "panhandlers, shoe shiners, food or flower vendors"; discreet use of video cameras in areas not frequented by tourists; and individuals seen observing security drills or procedures.

U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that al-Qaida is likely to attempt an attack inside the United States before the Nov. 2 election.

Sun reporter Jace Radke contributed to this report.