Assessments Find Threat of Suicide Attacks in U.S.

Confidential government assessments say that Al Qaeda remains intent on attacking targets in the United States and that suicide bombings are clearly “a preferred method of attack among extremists” in the wake of last month’s terror attacks in London.The July 7 attacks on the London transit system, as well as others overseas, have prompted American officials to reassess potential threats to targets in the United States. Their conclusions, circulated among law enforcement officials by the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, differ little from many earlier assessments since the Sept. 11 attacks but make clear that officials see Al Qaeda as a continued threat at home. Although American intelligence officials “do not believe the London attack necessarily presumes a similar attack against rail or mass transit targets in the United States, there has been consistent threat reporting for some time suggesting that terrorists may have an interest in targeting mass transit systems,” according to a security bulletin on July 20.Full Story