FBI warns terrorists may use fuel tankers

WASHINGTON -- The FBI is advising law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for terrorists who could be plotting to use fuel tankers to attack Jewish schools and synagogues, a federal official said Friday.

The law enforcement official, who asked not to be identified further, said the warning was sent to local police agencies Friday.

Another official said the warning was not based on a specific threat, but on interviews with captured al-Qaida and Taliban fighters who indicated such a plot had been discussed. The interviews with detainees did not reveal a target city or time.

President Bush said, "Any time we get any kind of threat that we think is serious, we'll put it out and people need to respond accordingly."

The notice to law enforcement agencies said terrorists may be interested in using fuel tankers and "reporting indicates the possible targeting of fuel depots or Jewish schools or synagogues."

"Law enforcement agencies are encouraged to make contact with appropriate Jewish community representatives and officials and trucking and fuel delivery facilities that operate fuel tanker trucks or commercial fueling stations and emphasize the need to report suspicious activities or persons," the notice said.

Unspecified threat

Administration officials stressed that the information was as unspecified and as uncorroborated as intelligence that led to similar alerts concerning shopping malls and banks in recent weeks.

The nation's overall alert status is unchanged from code yellow, which is the third-highest stage of alert.

Since Sept. 11, officials have struggled to strike a balance with the alerts. They have been accused of both withholding information from the public and giving so many warnings that Americans might let down their guard.

Some leaders in Jewish communities said they took the advisory seriously.

"It's not a time to panic," Rabbi Marvin Heir, dean of the Simon Weisenthal Center in West Los Angeles, "but it's better safe than late. And we have already planned even before this new threat to beef up security. Look, the al-Qaida group, these terrorists, they have a culture of hate and a culture of a love of death."