Threats arise as day of attacks marked

The Associated Press

For the most part, the nation will remember last Sept. 11 in silence, with few sounds other than bells tolling, military jets roaring in tribute and the reading of victims' names.

At the World Trade Center, felled by two of the four hijacked jetliners, family members and dignitaries will read the names of the 2,801 dead and missing this morning, an hour-and-a-half recitation to begin and end with moments of silence and include readings of the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address.

The city's remembrance was to begin with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., when the first plane hit the trade center -- and end just before 10:30 a.m., when the second tower collapsed.

President Bush will visit all three disaster sites on Wednesday, traveling from the Pentagon to Pennsylvania to New York's ground zero.

Code orange

Anniversary planning came as the Bush administration on Tuesday raised the terror alert for the first time to code orange, signaling a high danger of attack. Officials said the alert was prompted by specific and credible threats to American embassies overseas.

"We are not recommending that events be canceled," Attorney General John Ashcroft said. He said the government asks Americans to "mark the anniversary with heightened awareness of their environment and the activities occurring around them."

After a hectic series of telephone calls and late-night meetings, President Bush's top advisers decided Monday to recommend raising the level from code yellow -- "significant risk" of attack -- to code orange -- a "high risk." Bush met twice with the advisers Tuesday morning, the last time in the top-secret Situation Room, before telling them, "Let's do it."

Despite no evidence of a plot against the United States, the Sept. 11 anniversary and intelligence gathered in the last 48 hours -- some from a high-ranking al-Qaida operative -- prompted the decision. Tom Ridge, Bush's homeland security director, said plans for multiple attacks on U.S. targets in southeast Asia were in "an operational phase."

Code orange is the highest alert level imposed since the system was established in March. The only higher status, code red, reflects a severe risk of attack on U.S. soil based on credible evidence.

"The threats that we have heard recently remind us of the pattern of threats we heard prior to Sept. 11," Bush said on the eve of the anniversary. "We have no specific threat to America, but we're taking everything seriously."

From immigration officers to meat inspectors, government workers were put on high alert as security precautions rivaled measures taken immediately after last year's attacks.

Hiding Cheney

Vice President Dick Cheney canceled a Tuesday night speech and was taken to a secret location to protect the presidential line of succession in case of an attack. He will remain in seclusion at least through the Sept. 11 observances, a senior administration official said.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld ordered that live anti-aircraft missiles be stationed near launchers that had been deployed around Washington for a training exercise.

The government sent a separate alert to local law enforcement across the United States warning of possible scattered attacks, prompting discussions in communities on how best to protect potential targets like shopping malls, schools and public gatherings.

Echoing the words of Ashcroft's earlier news conference, the alert said: "Reporting also indicates that lower level al-Qaida operatives and sympathizers view the Sept. 11 timeframe as a suitable time to lash out in small strikes to demonstrate their worldwide presence and resolve. Widely dispersed, unsophisticated strikes are possible."

Local police were on edge. They urged residents to report any suspicious activity.

"There's no such thing as a stupid phone call," said Lt. Kelly Willis, spokesman for the Des Moines, Iowa, police department. "We're here to be bothered."

Ringing bells

Cities across the country are to fall silent for moments in the morning and throughout the day. In Los Angeles, houses of worship were asked to ring bells at 5:46 a.m., followed by a moment of silence.

A ceremony is planned at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, which marks what had been the worst act of terrorism on American soil. In Chicago, home to the nation's tallest building -- the Sears Tower -- residents will observe three minutes of silence before an interfaith prayer at Daley Plaza.

In New York, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is scheduled to lead a long line of people reading the victims' names in alphabetical order. Others include Secretary of State Colin Powell, actor Robert De Niro and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A ceremony at the Pentagon, where 189 people were killed, including five hijackers, will begin at 9:30 a.m., and include a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance and musical selections by military bands.

Thousands are expected to gather in the Pennsylvania field where the fourth hijacked plane crashed. The ceremony at 10:06 a.m., the time of the United Airlines Flight 93 crash, will includes a moment of silence and a reading of the 40 victims' names as bells are tolled.

Bush will address the nation this evening from Ellis Island, with another symbol -- the Statue of Liberty -- as his backdrop. He hopes it will remind "America again of our moral calling, our higher purpose as the beacon of liberty and freedom for people around the world," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said.