The Pentagon today raised the alert level at US military bases, most of them domestic, ahead of the 10th anniversary commemorations of the September 11th, 2001, attacks on Sunday.
But it said its decision to heighten force protection levels at military installations, including the Pentagon building itself, was not due to any specific information about a credible terrorism threat.
"This is not in response to any particular threat but is a prudent and precautionary measure," said Pentagon spokesman George Little. The Pentagon said the move takes effect today and will continue through Sunday.
The Pentagon was among the targets of the September 11th, 2001, attacks, in which al-Qaeda militants hijacked four airliners and killed almost 3,000 people. Two of the planes hit the World Trade Center in New York, one hit the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
US security officials are being especially vigilant as the 10th anniversary of the attacks approaches.
The State Department issued a "Worldwide Travel Alert," saying Americans travelling and living abroad should be aware of the continued threat posed by al-Qaeda and its affiliates.
Nonetheless, US Homeland security secretary Janet Napolitano said last week there was no credible intelligence that al-Qaeda was plotting an attack for the Sept. 11 anniversary.
Documents discovered in Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, after he was killed in a raid in May by Navy troops highlighted his persistent interest in attacking the United States around the 10th anniversary of the Septenber 11th attacks. But it is unclear those plans ever evolved beyond aspiration.
Reuters