No added threat to Hawai'i, Lingle says

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

While the rest of the nation has raised its terror-alert level to orange or "high risk" on the eve of a likely invasion of Iraq, Hawai'i will remain at a lower threat level, Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday.

Lingle said state Adjutant General Robert Lee spoke with national homeland security officials and "after his conversation at this time there is no additional credible threat in the state of Hawai'i and we will maintain our alert status at the blue level."

The blue level, known as "guarded," is the second-lowest alert level.

The decision by Lingle to stay at the blue level comes as President Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned yesterday that the United States should expect a terrorist response in the event of military action in Iraq. In an action they called Operation Liberty Shield, federal officials asked many of the 50 states to deploy the National Guard or state police to protect sensitive sites across the nation from possible attack.

"The intelligence community believes that terrorists will attempt multiple attacks against U.S. and coalition targets worldwide in the event of a U.S-led military campaign against Saddam Hussein," Ridge said in a statement last night. "A large volume of reporting across a range of sources, some of which are highly reliable, indicates that al-Qaida probably would attempt to launch terrorist attacks against U.S. interests claiming they were defending Muslims or the Iraqi people rather than Saddam Hussein's regime."

The amount of discretion left to the states in determining terror alert status is unclear. Lingle's spokesman, Russell Pang, said last night that state alert levels are left up to the discretion of the individual states.

But information on the Department of Homeland Security Web site describes the "national threat level," suggesting a unified approach to the assessment of security. As of last night, Hawai'i was apparently the only state that had declined to increase its threat level.

Lingle said she did expect security measures to be increased at Hawai'i's airports and harbors, which are under federal jurisdiction.

Lingle said all 50 governors had a conference call with Ridge yesterday as well as with CIA and FBI officials and had a general discussion of why the federal government is raising the alert level and the measures they are taking.

They spoke about increased border security and more extensive biological and chemical preparedness, "but it was a general discussion without any specific talk about a threat in any particular state," she said.

Operation Liberty Shield calls for:

• Stepped-up surveillance at U.S. ports, borders and airports.
• Coast Guard escorts for cruise ships and ferry boats and patrols near waterfront petrochemical plants.
• Closer scrutiny of shipments of hazardous cargo.
• Temporary flight restrictions put in place over Washington, New York City and certain other unidentified U.S. cities.
• Tightened security at nuclear power plants.
• More disease monitoring to detect any signs of bioterrorism.
• Increased inspections of imported food.

The federal government has raised the alert level to orange, the second highest of five levels, twice before in the approximately one year that the color-code system has been in place: for two weeks in September 2002, and three weeks last month.

Even when the nation's threat level was raised last month to orange, Hawai'i officials kept the state's threat level at blue. In a series of appearances on national television during a visit to Washington in early March, Lingle made a point of saying that Hawai'i was one of the safest states in the nation and an especially safe tourist destination.

But she stressed that in determining the threat level, "we don't consider what the impact would be on the visitor industry," Lingle said during one televised appearance.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Jacqueline Brunette said heightened security measures are in place in Hawai'i.

Cutters regularly patrol off-shore, HH-65 helicopters and C-130 aircraft are patrolling the skies, and 41-foot and 47-foot boats from Honolulu are watching the harbors.

"Ever since Sept. 11, obviously, we've had a heightened state of security and realignment of our mission," Brunette said. "We're not specifically doing anything different since the president's speech. We're just keeping a strong security presence around the port and in all the harbors."

Advertiser staff writer William Cole, The Washington Post and USA Today contributed to this report.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.