Officials 'warn of possible terror attacks'

New York City police officers standing guard outside of Grand Central Station on Sept 20, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

WASHINGTON • US intelligence officials have warned the local authorities in New York, Texas and Virginia about possible attacks by Al-Qaeda on Monday, a day before the US presidential election, CBS News reported yesterday, citing unnamed sources.

No specific locations were mentioned, but United States intelligence officials alerted joint terrorism task forces about the possible threat, CBS reported.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not comment specifically on the report, but said it was working closely with federal, state and local law enforcement to identify and disrupt any potential threats.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, and officials at the US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The potential for violent clashes is darkening an already rancorous presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, on top of the threat of computer hacking and fears that Russia or other state actors could spread political misinformation online or tamper with voting.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 05, 2016, with the headline Officials 'warn of possible terror attacks'. Subscribe