Much of the information obtained by al Qaeda that led the United States to raise terror alerts in Washington and New York was at least three years old, and US officials are unsure if the group's surveillance continues, according to newspaper reports.
The Washington Postand the New York Timesreported that officials were still analysing documents seized late last month after a raid in Pakistan that showed al Qaeda surveillance of specific US targets.
Documents, computers, surveillance reports and sketches were recovered related to the capture of suspected al Qaeda computer expert Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, also known as Abu Talha, in July, officials said.
Much of the information that resulted from the arrest was compiled before the September 11th, 2001 attacks, the New York Timesreported, citing intelligence and law enforcement officials.
Federal authorities said they are unsure whether al Qaeda's surveillance continues, the newspapers reported.
"You could say that the bulk of this information is old, but we know that al Qaeda collects, collects, collects until they're comfortable," a senior government official was quoted in the Times as saying. "Only then do they carry out an operation. And there are signs that some of this may have been updated or may be more recent."
The Postcited officials as saying that much of the information al Qaeda gathered on buildings in Washington, New York and Newark, New Jersey, was obtained through the Internet or other "open sources" available to the general public, including floor plans.
"What we've uncovered is a collection operation as opposed to the launching of an attack," said a senior American official quoted by the Post.
US officials have previously warned of possible attacks before the presidential election in November. The latest warnings on Sunday were of al Qaeda threats to attack symbols of US financial might such as the New York Stock Exchange, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund, among other targets in the New York area and Washington.