Sep 22, 2009 10:07 am US/Eastern
Feds Issue Security Bulletins On Stadiums, Hotels
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Counterterrorism officials have issued security bulletins about terrorist interest in attacking sports stadiums, entertainment complexes and hotels.
The FBI and Homeland Security Department sent two bulletins Monday to police around the country, saying they know of no specific plots against such sites. The bulletins obtained by The Associated Press say those sites remain attractive targets to groups like al-Qaida.
FBI Issues Warnings For Stadiums, Hotels & Transit
The memos do not mention the ongoing high-profile investigation of a possible terrorist plot involving a Colorado man and associates in New York City. Instead, they describe the long-standing interest of terrorists to use homemade backpack bombs, car bombs, or even airplanes to attack such crowded public places.
The latest developments come on the heels of counterterrorism warnings to mass-transit systems around the nation for heightenened security and vigilance. The warnings were prompted by the investigation into an alleged terrorism plot in New York City, similar to past attacks on London's and Madrid's transit systems.
Two law enforcement officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation told The Associated Press late Monday that more than a half-dozen individuals were being scrutinized in the alleged plot.
In a statement, the FBI says that "several individuals in the United States, Pakistan and elsewhere" are being investigated.
Investigators say Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghanistan-born immigrant who is a shuttle van driver at the Denver airport, played a direct role in the terror plot that unraveled after an overnight 1,600-mile trip from Denver to New York City around the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. He made his first court appearance Monday and remained behind bars.
Zazi and two other defendants have not been charged with any terrorism counts, only the relatively minor offense of lying to the government. But the case could grow to include more serious charges as the investigation proceeds.
Backpacks and cell phones were seized last week from apartments in Queens where Zazi visited.
Zazi has publicly denied being involved in a terror plot, and defense lawyer Arthur Folsom dismissed as "rumor" any notion that his client played a crucial role.
In a bulletin issued Friday, the FBI and Homeland Security Department warned that improvised explosive devices are the most common tactic to blow up railroads and other mass transit systems overseas. And they noted incidents in which bombs were made with peroxide.
In the bulletin, obtained by The Associated Press, officials recommended that transit systems conduct random sweeps at terminals and stations and that law enforcement make random patrols and board some trains and buses.
The effects of the warning were not immediately clear Monday. New York's transit agency said it was in touch with an FBI-NYPD task force but wouldn't comment further.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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