New York, Nov 08: American law enforcement agencies went on a alert today following "credible intelligence" reports that al Qaeda may be planning to hijack cargo planes and then crashing them into US targets such as nuclear plants and other critical infrastructure. Washington also decided to shut down its missions in Saudi Arabia for an undetermined period from today after receiving intelligence that al Qaeda operatives have progressed from planning to operational stage.
In Afghanistan, officials warned journalists to be careful as there were reports that Taliban were looking out for American media persons. Homeland security department officials said the most imminent threats were aimed at us targets overseas but the possibility of attacks on american soil could not be ruled out. The threat was strikingly similar to September 11, 2001 attacks in which 19 al Qaeda operatives had hijacked four planes, crashed two into the twin towers of the world trade center and one into Pentagon in Washington. The fourth plane had crashed as passengers struggled with the hijackers, they said.

Bureau Report