US lowers terror threat level

The US government yesterday lowered its terror threat level to yellow or "elevated", 10 days after raising it to the second-highest level of orange or "high", but it still warned of a possible attack.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said lowering the threat level to the middle of the five-point system "is not a signal to government, law enforcement or citizens that the danger of a terrorist attack has passed".

He said the US intelligence community remains concerned that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, "is attempting to exploit our weaknesses and believes that the United States and its interests are still at a significant risk of terrorist attack".