- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh
terror attacks on America are likely and the risk of such strikes could
increase as the United States retaliates for the aerial assaults on New
York and Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Sunday.
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- "We believe there are substantial risks of terrorism
still in the United States of America. As we as a nation respond to what
has happened to us, those risks may in fact go up," Ashcroft told
CNN.
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- People linked to the hijackers that slammed planes into
U.S. landmarks may be in the United States with plans for further strikes
that were plotted before the Sept. 11 attacks, Ashcroft said in a separate
interview with CBS' "Face The Nation."
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- More than 6,000 people are dead or missing after the
unprecedented attacks, which have also detonated fears among Americans
that will face new strikes, possibly even involving biological or chemical
weapons.
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- "We think there is a very serious threat of additional
problems and, frankly, as the United States responds, that threat may escalate,"
Ashcroft told CBS.
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- The United States has massed troops, warplanes and aircraft
carriers within striking distance of Afghanistan and demanded its Taliban
rulers avert a U.S. attack by surrendering Saudi-born Osama bin Laden,
Washington's prime suspect in the attacks.
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- Deep into its largest criminal investigation ever, the
United States has arrested more than 500 people as it strives to "interrupt,
disrupt, otherwise impair any additional terrorist activity," Ashcroft
said.
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- Racing to prevent further possible strikes, the Bush
administration has overseen efforts to tighten airport security. And facing
the specter of bioterrorism, Ashcroft has warned farmers and truck drivers
to be on guard against assailants using plane crop-dusters or vehicles
carrying hazardous materials to spread terror.
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- AMERICAN FEARS
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- Ashcroft urged Congress to pass legislation expanding
law enforcement powers to tap telephones, conduct searches, seize assets
and detain suspects To bolster efforts to prevent fresh strikes. He has
also asked Congress to quickly approve new money laundering legislation
to stem money flowing to attackers' networks.
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- "Talk does not stop terrorism, tools help reduce
the risk of terrorism," he said.
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- The comments by Ashcroft, the top U.S. law officer, reflect
widely held fears in the United States that have emerged since
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- Four out of every five Americans believe another attack
on U.S. soil is either "very likely" or "somewhat likely"
within a year, according to a TIME/CNN poll released on Friday.
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- Almost two-thirds of those polled believe U.S. military
action in Afghanistan will also make another strike on America more likely
within a year.
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- Bin Laden, who has denied responsibility for the Sept.
11 attacks, is believed to run al Qaeda, a network of loosely linked anti-U.S.
militants, throughout about 60 nations, according to Ashcroft.
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- The Taliban, which is fighting a civil war against the
so-called Northern Alliance even as it prepares for an expected U.S. strike,
has asked the multimillionaire to leave the country but has refused to
hand him over.
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