FBI warn of al-Qa'ida tanker threat

The FBI told law enforcement agencies throughout the United States on Friday to be on the lookout for terrorists who might use fuel tankers to attack Jewish schools or synagogues.

The warning was not based on a specific threat, but on interviews with captured al­Qa'ida and Taliban fighters who indicated such a plot had been discussed, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The advisory also cited possible attacks on fuel depots.

The interviews with al­Qa'ida and Taliban did not reveal a target city or time, and Bush administration officials stressed the information was as unspecified and uncorroborated as intelligence that led to similar alerts about shopping malls and banks in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, President George W. Bush, traveling in Florida, said: "Any time we get any kind of threat that we think is serious, we'll put it out and people need to respond accordingly."

Jewish groups said they would take the warning seriously. "It's not a time to panic, but it's better safe than late," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in West Los Angeles. The center had already planned before the warning to increase security, he said.

The new advisory came as members of Congress questioned FBI Director Robert Mueller whether a plan to put 20 percent of agents on anti­terror duty goes far enough. Before September 11, about 15 percent of the agents were on such duty.

Mueller said the shift is appropriate, and he'll come back to Congress if he needs more agents switched.

The warning about possible attacks on fuel depots, Jewish schools and synagogues was sent Friday to local police agencies, said a federal law enforcement official.

The United States believes the al­Qa'ida network has used fuel tankers as weapons before. In Tunisia last month, a man is believed to have blown up a gas truck near a historic Jewish synagogue, killing 18 people including German tourists.