Terror Groups May Be Planning New Attacks, State Dept. Says

The State Department said today that there was “credible information” that terrorist groups might be planning new attacks on American interests in the Middle East, though tensions had eased with the waning of the Iraq war. It was a calibrated caution to Americans traveling or living abroad that while clear progress has been made in the fight against terrorism — and dramatically so against militants belonging to Al Qaeda — risks of terrorism have hardly vanished. Counterterrorism specialists say they were surprised and heartened by the near-absence of major terror attacks in association with the Iraq war. There are substantial grounds to believe that Al Qaeda has been severely undercut since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, they say. But they, like the American and British governments, warn strongly against complacence, and note that terror groups often work on long, patient — but unpredictable — schedules. The State Department repeated strong language similar to that in a worldwide caution issued April 21. Full Story