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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37954-2004Aug3.html
Seriousness of Terror Threat Defended
(Washington Post) - Bush administration officials acknowledged Tuesday that the latest terrorism alert was based primarily on information that is three to four years old, but they aggressively defended the decision to warn financial sectors in Washington, New York, and Newark because of the continuing threat posed by al-Qaeda. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said that al-Qaeda computer files obtained last week had been updated as recently as January. "When you see this kind of detailed planning, you have to take preemptive action," Ridge said. Two senior intelligence officials stressed Tuesday that the U.S. government has information from interrogations of recently captured al-Qaeda operatives and other seized documents, and that the computer files "are corroborated by other intelligence of strong credibility that is of a very, very current nature." One said the government has "very recent information showing a clear terrorist intent related to planning attacks."