[JYO] Threat Level lowered to Yellow...

        

WASHINGTON (AP) - After 11 days at orange, the national terrorism alert level 
was dropped one notch to yellow Friday after officials determined that the 
threat of imminent al-Qaida strikes had diminished.
 
The alert level was changed after various intelligence sources noted a modest 
decrease in terrorist threats. Officials were also worried about a possible 
attack on Memorial Day, which passed without incident.
 
``The lowering of the threat level is not a signal to government, law 
enforcement or citizens that the danger of a terrorist attack has passed,'' 
Homeland 
Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a statement. ``The U.S. intelligence 
community remains concerned that al-Qaida is attempting to exploit our 
weaknesses.''
 
No domestic terrorist strikes were attempted during the relatively brief 
alert. Previous alerts lasted roughly a month.
 
Yellow indicates an elevated risk of terrorist attack, while the old level, 
orange, means a high risk.
 
Yellow is the middle level on a five-color scale. The lowest two levels, 
green and blue, and the highest, red, have not been used since the system was 
adopted in March 2002.
 
Homeland Security officials say the system serves as guidance for law 
enforcement authorities, businesses and the public on how likely a terrorist 
attack 
is at a given time.
 
The alert level was raised on May 20 after terrorists believed linked to 
al-Qaida struck in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Seventy-five people were killed, 
including eight Americans.
 
At the time, Ridge said it was feared the incidents could mark the beginning 
of a wave of worldwide attacks that could include U.S. targets.
 
With the alert, government authorities and businesses stepped up security, 
particularly at Memorial Day gatherings. Lowering the alert level allows 
authorities to scale back some measures, a move favored by many local 
governments 
struggling with budget shortfalls.
 
The terror alert has been at orange four times since the system was put in 
place. No domestic attacks have occurred during any of the alerts.
 
While some have raised concerns that too many nonspecific alerts will 
desensitize the public, officials say they have little choice but to put them 
out in 
the face of very real threats. Homeland Security officials believe increased 
security accompanying the alerts deters would-be terrorists from striking.
 
U.S. officials suspect al-Qaida's top leaders coordinated the Morocco and 
Saudi Arabia attacks to demonstrate al-Qaida still is viable.
 
Many of those leaders are believed to be in Iran, although Osama bin Laden is 
thought to be in the remote border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. 
Their activities, along with information gleaned from prisoner interrogations 
and intercepted communications, played a key role in raising the alert, U.S. 
counterterrorism officials said.
 
05/30/03 21:50 EDT
 
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