Official: Numerous people on terror lists blocked from U.S.

CNN.com - Official: Numerous people on terror lists blocked from U.S. - Dec. 23, 2003:

New warnings for possible al Qaeda attacks abroad

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Numerous people named on America's terrorist watch lists have been prevented from entering the United States since December 1, after 'credible' intelligence pointed to possible major terrorist attacks, a government official said Tuesday.

The official, who would not provide specifics, said the people were turned back at various locations. Another government official said a handful of flight crew members from other countries also have been stopped in recent days.

The United States has been working with airlines and governments of other countries in an attempt to improve their security, especially after Sunday's move by the Department of Homeland Security to raise the nation's terror threat level from 'elevated' (yellow) to 'high' (orange).

In addition, a senior State Department official said Tuesday the U.S. government has received intelligence that al Qaeda is planning attacks against U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and Kenya. The official said the intelligence spells out 'a general threat of attack' against U.S. interests in those countries, but does not mention a specific target."