Bush Urges Calm in Face of New Threats
By RONALD POWERS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush sought to calm the nerves of jittery Americans as Islamic terrorists promised a storm of new attacks on jetliners and skyscrapers
The White House dismissed the latest round of threats by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network as just "propaganda." Still, the FBI warned they had information that terrorists were poised to strike again.
Meanwhile, health officials across the country reported more instances of possible bioterrorism as they confirmed additional cases of Americans exposed to potentially deadly anthrax.
"I understand that many Americans are feeling uneasy. But all Americans should be assured we are taking strong precautions, we are vigilant," Bush said Saturday.
Warning of a new "storm of airplanes," bin Laden supporters advised Muslims in the United States and Britain to avoid flying and to stay away from tall buildings.
An al-Qaida spokesman also said the president; his father, former President Bush; former President Clinton; British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would not escape punishment for "crimes" against Muslims.
"We dismiss it," said a White House spokeswoman, Jennifer Millerwise. "This is just more propaganda."
In Florida, five more employees of tabloid publishing company American Media Inc. tested positive for anthrax exposure, company officials said. Health officials in New York confirmed that anthrax was in a letter postmarked in Trenton, N.J., and handled by an assistant to NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw.
Across the country in Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn said a letter mailed from Malaysia to a Microsoft office in Reno tested positive for the deadly germ.
The New York Times said a powdery substance in an envelope sent to one of its reporters tested negative for anthrax and other dangerous biological materials.
Bush was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat outside Washington. He was meeting with aides in preparation for his trip next week to China and receiving video conference updates from top military and intelligence advisers.
On the battlefront, U.S. fighter jets continued to hammer the area around Kabul's airport. The Pentagon confirmed that a 2,000-pound bomb aimed at a Taliban military helicopter missed by a mile and hit a residential neighborhood near the airport.
Residents there said one person was killed and four wounded. The Pentagon said it had no way to confirm Afghan casualties. A Defense Department official said privately the satellite-guided bomb went astray because someone entered one wrong digit in the target coordinates.
Secretary of State Colin Powell was flying to Pakistan and India on a high-priority diplomatic mission aimed at keeping tensions between those two nations from further complicating the U.S. anti-terror campaign in neighboring Afghanistan.
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