Washington raises national terror alert

The Bush administration yesterday raised the national terror status from yellow to orange – claiming that a "confluence of intelligence" suggested al-Qa'ida was poised to launch new attacks on US targets within days. The level of alert is the second highest available.

While officials admitted that no individual targets had been identified, they said information received was specific, credible and came from "multiple sources". They said they believed any attack could be timed to coincide with the conclusion of the haj – the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca – in the middle of the month. There is also concern about terrorists trying to take advantage of America's preparation for a military operation against Iraq.

"This is based on specific intelligence received and analysed by the full intelligence community," said the Attorney General, John Ashcroft, as he announced the elevation. "Since September 11, intelligence has indicated that al-Qa'ida is still determined to attack innocent Americans." White House sources said the decision to raise the threat level was made by President Bush after he received a series of briefings from his security and intelligence advisers that the "chatter" they were receiving had not been so high since 11 September.

There has been a debate within the administration over the past few days on whether or not to raise the threat level. Officials have grown concerned about the likelihood of terrorist attacks within the US. On Thursday the State Department issued a worldwide caution to Americans about a greater risk of terrorism, including "suicide operations, assassinations or kidnappings".