英国提升恐怖威胁的级别

Britain has raised its terror alert status to the second highest level. Later British official says, this means a terrorist attack is, well, highly likely in the UK. The public is also being asked to be on alert.

"No. 1 job is to keep the public safe and secure, and all I would say to the public is that they need to be vigilant, they need to help the police and the security services."

And NBC's Tom Aspell is live in London with more for us. With a good morning to you, what can you tell us about this raised security alert, Tom?

Hi, Alex. Well, Britain may have raised its terror alert level from "substantial" to "severe", but the government here says that while police are heightening their vigilance, there is no firm evidence to suggest an attack might be imminent. Now the Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the decision to raise the alert was based on a range of factors, including the intent and capabilities of international terror groups in the UK and overseas. Now the move corresponds to the same threat level that the United States has had in place for the past few years, and it could be based on intelligence the U.S. and Britain have been gathering in Yemen, where al-Qaeda may be planning further attacks on the West. Alex.

OK, and Tom, uh, looking at a couple of updates the possibility of female suicide bombers, what are you hearing about that over there in London?

Well, intelligence agencies in Yemen have been feeding back information, saying that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula may be planning to use suicide bombers. I don't think there is any firm evidence for it, but it’s certainly part of the watch that Britain and the U.S., the closer attention rather that they are paying to Yemen. You know, last week, Britain suspended direct flights to and from Yemen, and also established a no-flight list for flights that are destined for the UK. Alex.

Alright, Tom Aspell from London as always. Thanks Tom.