US still on high alert after terrorism threat

US officials said today that the worldwide alert of a possible terrorist attack on American targets could be the first of a string of new warnings.

The warnings have emanated from a new interagency databank that sifts terror-related information from interrogations of detainees and from documents captured in Afghanistan.

The FBI alert, urgently issued late yesterday, warned of a possible attack as early as Tuesday (US time)against the USA or Americans in Yemen by individuals with suspected ties to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda terrorist network, US law enforcement officials said.

The officials said the alert stemmed from a tip provided during an interview with one of 220 detainees held at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.