Tuesday November 6 6:02 PM ET

FBI: Threat of Calif. Bridge Attacks Not Credible

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An investigation has determined the threat of possible terrorist attacks targeting bridges in California and other Western states was not credible, the FBI said on Tuesday.

The warning, issued by the FBI to six Western states on Oct. 31, was based on ``uncorroborated information indicating the possibility of additional terrorist attacks targeting suspension bridges'' starting Nov. 2 and continuing through Nov. 7, the FBI said in a new message to law enforcement agencies.

As a result of the warning, California Gov. Gray Davis last week ordered security tightened around the state's major bridges, including San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, saying there would be an effort to ``blow up one of those bridges.''

Even though the investigation determined the threat was not deemed credible, the FBI said it will continue to notify law enforcement agencies of any threats in the future.

The FBI gave no details of why the threat was now dismissed as lacking credibility. When it issued the initial warning, the law enforcement agency said, ``The FBI is attempting to verify the validity of this report.''

In the new message, the FBI again asked law enforcement agencies to immediately relay any specific information that suggests that acts of violence may occur.

The FBI has been on alert, seeking to prevent any additional attacks, since the Sept. 11 hijack assaults on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon.

At a news conference on Friday, Attorney General John Ashcroft defended the decision to issue the West Coast warning, saying, ``We believe the action we took was appropriate.''

FBI Director Robert Mueller, at a separate news conference Friday, also defended the decision. ``By issuing the warnings, we are sending a strong signal to terrorists that we are focused, prepared and united in our determination to keep them from attacking our freedom,'' Mueller said.

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2001