"Information Circular" Issued To Airlines, Law Enforcement

We're learning more now about the government warning that al Qaeda terrorists could again try to hijack commercial passenger aircraft and turn them into human-guided suicide bombs. According to the Washington Post, the Department of Homeland Security issued the memo Saturday, saying terrorists may use "common items carried by travelers, such as cameras, modified as weapons" to hijack commercial flights and dive them into targets of their choosing.

"The plan may involve the use of five-man teams, each of which would attempt to seize control of a commercial aircraft either shortly after takeoff or shortly before landing at a chosen airport," the memo said. "This type of operation would preclude the need for flight-trained hijackers."

President Bush was briefed on the memo Tuesday and told reporters the next day that the threat posed by these al Qaeda hijackers is "very real."

A source familiar with the memo told the Post that airports outside the US are being asked to give certain aliens extra-special attention as they pass through security. The memo specifically cites "Muslim extremists" as the planners of the possible attacks.

"It's the most specific I've seen since we entered this new world" after Sept. 11, the source said. "It's very clear to me they're taking it very, very seriously."

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov; www.dhs.gov, www.tsa.gov