Terror-alert system: how it's working

The newest terror warnings and response by authorities this week have rekindled the long-standing debate over whether the alert system is working, credible, and useful.

Critics claim this week's warnings are politically motivated - especially since it is unclear how current some of the intelligence is - and could ultimately provide information that will assist terrorists in planning future attacks, without offering much protection to the American people.

Others say the specificity offered by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge - that terrorists are focused on certain financial centers in Manhattan, Washington, and Newark, N.J. - points to major improvements in information gathering since 9/11. Moreover, they say, it shows that the administration is taking into account criticism over the one-size-fits-all color-coded system.

"Basically it's been a failed system so far," says Juliette Kayyem, a homeland security specialist at Harvard University. "This time they got it right. What they are saying by going so public is, 'Terrorists, postpone your plans'; they're getting them back to the drawing board. And a terrorism attack delayed is a plus."

Officials announced the security measures after pointing to photos, drawings, and written documents, which indicated that terrorists were focusing on the New York Stock Exchange and Citigroup Center in Manhattan, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington, and Prudential Financial Inc.'s headquarters in Newark, N.J.

Officials carried out extra bag and identification checks across the cities this week, while police officers and bomb-sniffing dogs milled outside of office buildings. Some bridges and tunnels in New York were closed to trucks. Officials said the measures would be evaluated daily.

Many analysts say the measures could help thwart imminent attacks. "It may be the dog that doesn't bark for that reason," says Robert Pfaltzgraff, a security expert at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Officials have acknowledged that while the newest information came from a Pakistani computer engineer captured last month, much of the information was culled years earlier, even before 9/11. No timetable for a possible attack has been specified.

But US officials note that the intelligence was updated as of January and still represents a credible threat. Mr. Ridge said Tuesday that "I don't want anyone to disabuse themselves of the seriousness of this information simply because of reports that much of it is dated.... This is actionable information."

Still, the question persists: Why release the information now? Moreover, how long to stay on high alert is a major challenge facing officials. "Today they won't be complaining about [security measures]. But what will they say on Friday? And the following Friday?" says Randall Larsen, CEO and founder of Homeland Security Associates, a consulting firm in Washington.

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