Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said yesterday that U.S. officials are beginning to consider lowering the national terrorist threat level from orange, or “high risk,” in part because the war in Iraq has been going well. “We certainly do have a plan to start reducing, over time, the additional security measures” put in place several days before the start of hostilities in Iraq, Ridge said at a news conference. Raising the national threat index from yellow, or “elevated” risk of a terror attack, brought more police officers onto the streets as well as tighter security at government buildings, ports, bridges and other sites. The generally upbeat news from Iraq might also prompt the government to “reduce or finally eliminate” Operation Liberty Shield, a separate layer of security measures, such as dispatching National Guard troops to secure nuclear plants, that was initiated March 17 when the threat index was raised. Full Story
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