White House 'mindful' of possible terror threats around presidential election

The White House said on Friday that it was "mindful" of the risk of attacks around the presidential election following a warning from intelligence sources about possible terror threats at three US states including New York.

The warning, first reported by CBS News, is believed to have been directed at New York, Texas and Virginia. No specific locations within the three states were mentioned, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force, the FBI and Homeland Security have been alerted to the possible threat, which is believed to come from Al Qaeda.

New York police had previously been warned that polling places could be seen as attractive targets by likely "lone wolf"-style terrorists, said a CBS report.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates airports, tunnels and bridges around New York City, had been alerted, said the report.

The FBI and the New York Police Department (NYPD) said they are taking the threat seriously and are assessing the credibility of a possible attack on the eve of Election Day.

However, the information "lacks specificity", an NYPD spokesman said in a statement issued earlier in the day.

Millions of Americans will vote on November 8 to choose their next President.

--IANS

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