Off the wire
Thousands flee South Sudan every day in October: UNHCR  • U.S. dollar mixed against other major currencies  • Latvia's sacked mayor reinstated  • Tanzanian gov't probes officials linked to poaching  • Iran's exports of medicinal herbs rise as sanctions removed  • British research institute submits proposal for GM wheat field trial  • Germany's Commerzbank reports net loss in Q3 amid restructuring  • GM China sales up 5.7 percent in October  • East Africa pharmaceutical market to see fast growth: UNCTAD  • British FTSE 100 decreases 1.43 pct on Friday  
You are here:   Home

White House "mindful" of possible terror threats around U.S. presidential election

Xinhua, November 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

The White House said Friday it was "mindful" of the risk of attacks around the U.S. presidential election following a warning from U.S. intelligence sources about possible terror threats at three U.S. states including New York.

The warning, first reported by CBS News, is believed to have been directed at New York, Texas and Virginia. No specific locations within the three states were mentioned.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and Homeland Security have been alerted to the possible threat, which is believed to come from al Qaeda, local media reported.

New York police had previously been warned that polling places could be seen as attractive targets by likely "lone wolf"-style terrorists, said a CBS report.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates airports, tunnels and bridges around New York City, had been alerted, said the report.

The FBI and the New York Police Department (NYPD) said they are taking the threat seriously and are assessing the credibility of a possible attack on the eve of Election Day.

However, the information "lacks specificity", an NYPD spokesman said in a statement issued earlier on the day.

Millions of Americans will go voting on Nov. 8 to choose their next president. Enditem