Orange Alert : New York City, Washington DC, N. New Jersey
ABC News

The federal government warned Sunday of possible terrorist attacks against "iconic" financial institutions in New York City, Washington and Newark, N.J., saying a confluence of chilling intelligence in recent days pointed to a car or truck bomb.

The government said the new intelligence indicated the meticulous planning of al-Qaida. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge identified explosives as the likely mode of attack, as opposed to a chemical or biological attack or a radiological "dirty" bomb.

Recently obtained information including photos, drawings and written documents led the government to take the unprecedented action of naming specific buildings as potential targets:

The Citigroup Center building and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank buildings in Washington.

Prudential financial in northern New Jersey.

"The preferred means of attack would be car or truck bombs," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a briefing with journalists. "That would be a primary means of attack," he said.

Tom Ridge Speech Transcript
IanLivingston.Com

Good afternoon. President Bush has told you, and I have told you, when we have specific credible information, we will share it.
This afternoon, we do have new and unusually specific information about where al Qaida would like to attack. As a result, today, the United States Government is raising the threat level to Code Orange for the financial services sector in New York City, Northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

Since September 11th, 2001, leaders of our commercial financial institutions have demonstrated exceptional leadership in improving its security. However, in light of new intelligence information, we have made the decision to raise the threat level for this sector, in these communities, to bring protective resources to their highest capacity.

This will allow us to increase protection in and around those buildings that require it and also raise awareness for employees, residents, customers and visitors.

We know from experience that increased physical protection and added vigilance from citizens can thwart a terrorist attack. And that is our goal.

This is the first time we have chosen to use the Homeland Security Advisory System in such a targeted way. Compared to previous threat reporting, these intelligence reports have provided a level of detail that is very specific. The quality of this intelligence, based on multiple reporting streams in multiple locations, is rarely seen and is alarming in both the amount and specificity of the information.

Update : U.S. Warns of Threat to Financial Icons
AP Via Forbes

The official said the intelligence gathered from several sources included security in and around these buildings; the flow of pedestrians; the best places for reconnaissance; how to make contact with employees who work in the buildings; the construction of the buildings; traffic patterns; locations of hospitals and police departments; and which days of the week present less security at these buildings.

To illustrate the level of detail included in the intelligence, the official cited these examples: midweek pedestrian traffic of 14 people per minute on each side of the street for a total of 28 people; that some explosives might not be hot enough to melt steel; and that the construction of some buildings might prevent them from falling down.

The official said he had not seen such extraordinary detail in his 24 years in intelligence work.

The warning is based partly on documentary evidence - obtained during successful CIA counterterrorism operation - that provides clear indications that al-Qaida operatives are casing specific buildings in the financial sector, another official said, also speaking only on the condition of anonymity.

The counterterrorism official said the surveillance was going on before and after the 2001 terrorist attacks, but it remains unclear how recently the operatives were conducting the vulnerability assessments.

Sunday's warning was prompted in large part by Pakistan's capture of an al-Qaida operative several weeks ago and documentary evidence that was later uncovered, the official said. That operative's identity has not been disclosed.

Ridge said it would be up to New York City officials to decide whether to move to the highest level, red. The city has remained on orange since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Focus : The Citigroup Center
GlassOnWeb.Com

The Citigroup center, as the Citicorp Center is also referred to, was designed by Hugh Stubbins & Assoc and was finished in the 1977. This 59-floor building with 102,200 m2 of usable office space is recognized throughout the world, due to its unusual 45-degree roof originally planned as a solar collector. The curtain wall panels are lined with double-glazed reflective glass and heat-reflective aluminum panels enclosed in aluminum frames. In 1978, William LeMessurier discovered that the buildings bolted joints were too weak to resist the wind loads in New York. A construction group was hired to try and repair the fragile structure over the next three months. The document showing the skyscraper's mistakes was called "Project SERENE" and stands for "Special Engineering Review of Events Nobody Envisioned". This mistake was hidden from public eyes for nearly 20 years.

Captured Qaeda Figure Led Way to Information Behind Warning
New York Times

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 - The unannounced capture of a figure from Al Qaeda in Pakistan several weeks ago led the Central Intelligence Agency to the rich lode of information that prompted the terror alert on Sunday, according to senior American officials.

The figure, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, was described by a Pakistani intelligence official as a 25-year-old computer engineer, arrested July 13, who had used and helped to operate a secret Qaeda communications system where information was transferred via coded messages.

A senior United States official would not confirm or deny that Mr. Khan had been the Qaeda figure whose capture led to the information. But the official said "documentary evidence" found after the capture had demonstrated in extraordinary detail that Qaeda members had for years conducted sophisticated and extensive reconnaissance of the financial institutions cited in the warnings on Sunday.

One senior American intelligence official said the information was more detailed and precise than any he had seen during his 24-year career in intelligence work. A second senior American official said it had provided a new window into the methods, content and distribution of Qaeda communications.

Church Bombings in Iraq & Afghanistan
Al-Bawaba.Com

Two car bombs went off just minutes apart outside two nearby churches in central Baghdad during Sunday evening services, injuring at least 20 people, witnesses said.

U.S. military officials said at least one and possible both of the blasts appeared to have been booby-trapped cars in the city's Karada neighborhood.

The first blast hit outside an Armenian church just 15 minutes into the evening service, witnesses said, according to The AP. The second blast hit a Catholic church about 200 yards away.

Meanwhile, a double car bomb exploded at the same time outside a church in the northern city of Mosul, police said.

The bombs went off at 7:15 am outside the Mar Polis church in the Mohandessin neighbourhood in the center of the city, said Major Mohammed Omar Taha.