Britain raises terror threat alert to 'severe'

LONDON - Britain raised its terror threat alert to the second-highest level Friday, one of several recent moves the country has made to increase vigilance against international terrorists after a Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Europe-U.S. flight.

The threat level was raised from "substantial" - where it had stood since July to indicate a strong possibility of a terrorist attack - to "severe," meaning such an attack is considered highly likely.

In making the announcement, Home Secretary Alan Johnson said Britain is heightening its vigilance. But he stressed that there was no intelligence suggesting an attack is imminent.

"The highest security alert is 'critical,' and that means an attack is imminent, and we are not at that level," he said on British television.

Johnson declined to say what intelligence the change was based on, or whether the move was related to the failed Christmas bombing attempt, when U.S. authorities say a Nigerian named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear during a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Abdulmutallab, who allegedly had links to extremists based in Yemen, had studied as a university student in London.

"It shouldn't be thought to be linked to Detroit, or anywhere else for that matter," Johnson said. "We never say what the intelligence is."

He said the decision to raise the threat level was made by the U.K.'s Joint Terrorism Analysis Center. He said the center kept the security threat level under constant review and made its judgments based on a range of factors, including the "intent and capabilities of international terrorist groups in the U.K. and overseas."

Friday's changes came days after Britain suspended direct flights to Yemen's capital in response to the growing threat from al-Qaida-affiliated militants based there. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said his government also was creating a new terrorist no-fly list, and targeting specific airline passengers for tougher security checks.

The measures followed a discussion between Brown and President Barack Obama on Tuesday. They match similar moves made by U.S. authorities last week to enhance security at airports and on planes, as intelligence officials warned that al-Qaida's branch in Yemen was continuing to plot attacks on the United States.

Britain's decision to raise its terror threat alert came as India put airline passengers through extra security screenings and sky marshals were placed on flights. India put its airports on high alert amid reports that al-Qaida-linked militants planned to hijack a plane.