FBI Director Robert Mueller said yesterday that while al-Qaeda’s ability to attack U.S. targets has diminished, the group still poses a threat (see GSN, April 23).

“The war with al-Qaeda is not over,” Mueller said.  “We have not won it by any stretch of the imagination.  Al-Qaeda still seeks to attack us and has the capacity to do it.  Will we be attacked by terrorists in the future?  Yes,” he said.

Several actions have contributed to the weakening of al-Qaeda, including the capture of several top leaders and the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan that ousted the group from its sanctuary there, Mueller said.  “We tend to forget that was a huge blow to al-Qaeda, and they have been unable to find another such sanctuary,” he said.

One of the most significant captures was the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammmed, according to Mueller (see GSN, March 24).  He singled out Mohammed’s capture “because he had spent time in the U.S. and knew our vulnerabilities” (Johnson/Locy, USA Today, May 1).

U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia Warns of Terrorist Threat

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia warned yesterday that terrorist groups may be close to completing plans to conduct attacks on U.S. citizens there.

“The embassy advises the American community in Saudi Arabia that it has received information that terrorist groups may be in the final phases of planning terrorist attacks on American interests in Saudi Arabia,” the embassy said in a statement.

Potential targets could be sites where U.S. citizens and other foreigners gather, such as residential areas, restaurants, and resorts and beaches, the embassy statement said.  The embassy has advised its employees and their dependents to limit their travel to essential business.  In addition, the embassy “remains under authorized departure status for mission nonessential personnel and dependants,” it said (Sydney Morning Herald, May 1).

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