Washington: US intelligence agencies have found no evidence that al Qaeda has sneaked any terrorists into the country for a strike coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, senior officials said on Saturday.
But authorities kept a high alert as investigators looked for proof of a plot possibly timed to disrupt events planned on Sunday in Washington or New York.
Since late Wednesday, counterterrorism officials have chased a tip that al Qaeda may have sent three men to the US on a mission to detonate a car bomb in either city.
At least two of those men could be US citizens, according to the tip.
No intelligence supported that tip as of today, and officials continued to question the validity of the initial information.
While such tips are common among intelligence agencies, this one received more attention, and government officials chose to speak publicly about it, because of the connection to the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in US history.
Al Qaeda long has hoped to strike again on the anniversary. At the FBI field office in Washington, assistant director James McJunkin described the tip and the response as routine.
The US already had bolstered security nationwide before the upcoming anniversary and anticipated an increase in tips.
"We expect we're going to get an increase in threats and investigative activity around high-profile dates and events," he said. "This is a routine response for us."
Intelligence analysts have looked at travel patterns and behaviours of people who recently entered the country. While they have singled out a few people for additional scrutiny, none has shown any involvement in a plot, according to the senior US officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the investigation.
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