Washington, Sept 05: The United States faces threat of attack from al-Qaeda, which targets Americans and still has a presence in this country two years after the September 11 hijacked plane attacks, FBI and Homeland Security officials said on Thursday.
Larry Mefford, the FBI's executive assistant director for counterterrorism and counterintelligence, said Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network presented a greater threat than a lone terrorist.


"The greater concern, however, are the organised terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda remains our No. 1 concern," he told reporters at FBI headquarters.



"The reason for that is because they've demonstrated that they have no inhibitions and they have no rules. Consequently, we're concerned that they may continue to target Americans and potentially be involved in attacks," Mefford said.

The Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory on Thursday saying it remained concerned about al-Qaeda's "continued efforts to plan multiple attacks against the US and US interests overseas."


But the advisory, based on a review of intelligence ahead of the two-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks, said the department had no specific information on individual targets or dates for any attacks.



The department has no plans to change the terror alert level, which remains at "yellow" or "elevated" risk, it said.

Mefford said although al-Qaeda has suffered a number of setbacks, it remains a threat. "They are a very flexible organization. They have the ability to change and to adapt to their environment, and I think that's what we're seeing today," he said.


Asked about al-Qaeda's presence in the United States, Mefford replied, "My view is it's very small, but it does exist. ... We clearly have evidence of it."



The Homeland Security advisory said operatives still at large around the world view attacks on US territory as a "priority." It said they continue to pursue a range of targets, tactics and capabilities.

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"Al-Qaeda's primary intent is to conduct synchronized attacks against US interests," it said. "At the same time, recent terrorist incidents overseas highlight the possibility that al-Qaeda could opt to conduct lower-scale attacks against 'softer' target sets."

The FBI, which is helping to investigate recent attacks in Iraq, has found similarities in the materials used in the deadly bombings of the Jordanian Embassy and the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, officials said.


They said laboratory tests have yet to be completed for the most recent car bombing at a mosque in Najaf. Mefford said the FBI was not sure who was behind the three bombings.


Bureau Report