‘Credible threat’ to airliners over: US

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (AFP) – The “credible threat” of an attack on airliners, which led to the cancellation of 10 US-bound European flights and one domestic flight, is over, the US Department of Homeland Security said Monday.

“There was a specific information for those two days,” spokeswoman Rachel Sunbarjar said. “This information has passed and we don’t have any new threat-related information.”

British Airways and Air France cancelled flights Sunday and Monday in response to concerns the terrorist group al-Qaeda was seeking to hijack jetliners to repeat the carnage of September 11, 2001.

The international flights were between Britain, France and the United States.

A Continental flight from Glasgow, Scotland to Los Angeles via New York, and a domestic flight by Continental between Washington and Houston, Texas, were also cancelled.

During the Christmas and New Year’s season, six Air France and two British Airways flights, and one Aeromexico flight, were cancelled due to “specific intelligence concerns” from US security officials.

US authorities have not increased their terror alert system, which they lowered from high to elevated January 9.

© AFP

                                                              Subject: France news