According to The Washington Times, San Francisco police are on heightened alert after officials with the U.S. State Department advised them of a serious al Qaeda threat that appears to be related to the threat that shut down U.S. embassies and consulates around the world on Sunday.
The Times emphasizes that there was no direct threat to San Francisco, but police are monitoring airports, train stations, and other transportation hubs. At the same time, however, SFPD spokesman Gordon Shy cautioned residents to remain vigilant:
I want to remind citizens if they see something, say something. We want to be proactive given the State Department’s warnings in order to protect our citizens and infrastructure in San Francisco.
Shy also said that the city is prepared to deploy more resources if needed,
Western embassies in Yemen and 19 U.S. diplomatic posts across the Arab world and Africa remained closed Monday following chatter over the weekend that was described by sources close to the State Department as ”beyond anything heard since before 9/11.” Following added intelligence that suggested al Qaeda might strike Western targets around the end of Ramadan this week, the closures were extended.
In its alert, the State Department said:
Current information suggests that al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August.
Travelers and U.S. citizens living abroad were initially warned Friday that terrorist attacks were being planned.