US President George W Bush and his administration had a tough task Saturday putting the nation’s mind at peace after new cases of Anthrax were found and Al Qaeda organization threatened more terror attacks on the country.
Al Jazeera satellite channel reported that five new cases tested positive for the fatal disease and a letter containing suspicious powder turned to have traces of Anthrax.
The AP reported that a threatening letter mailed to Tom Brokaw from New Jersey one week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks contained the anthrax that infected the NBC news anchor's assistant, authorities said Saturday.
In Florida, five more newspaper employees tested positive for exposure to anthrax, but none showed symptoms of infection. And in Nevada, a letter sent to a Microsoft office also tested positive for the bacteria.
A second NBC employee had possible symptoms of anthrax, including a low-grade fever, swollen lymph nodes and a rash, health officials said.
The employee, who was not identified, was taking antibiotics, said Neal Shapiro, the network's news president. ``She's fine,'' he said.
The NBC letter, postmarked Sept. 18 in Trenton, N.J., tested positive for anthrax, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. Initially, authorities believed a Sept. 20 letter sent from Florida might have carried the bacteria.
In Nevada, Gov. Kenny Guinn said a third anthrax test on a letter sent from Malaysia to a Microsoft office in Reno came back positive, but added that the risk to public health was ``very, very low.''
Meanwhile, the Al Qaeda organization of Osama Bin Laden has threatened fresh terror attacks against both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith said there would be strikes in retaliation for the military action being taken against Afghanistan by US and British forces.
He advised Muslims in the US and UK not to travel by plane and not to live in skyscrapers - a clear reference to the 11 September suicide attacks on New York's World Trade Center using hijacked aircraft., according to BBC.
But the White House on Saturday dismissed as “propaganda'” the threat said steps were being taken to protect Americans at home and abroad.
`”The White House sees it as just more propaganda,'' White House spokeswoman Jennifer Millerwise said.
The al Qaeda statement also drew a swift reaction from the British government, said Reuters.
``This latest statement is a clear admission of responsibility for the terrorist attacks in the U.S. of 11 September,'' a statement from the office of British Prime Minister Tony Blair said.
``It can leave no one in any doubt of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's intention to continue to conduct, incite and support acts of terrorism. This is why we are determined to bring bin Laden, his al Qaeda network and those who support and harbor them to account.''
Earlier on Saturday President Bush said the U.S. government was taking ``strong precautions'' to safeguard Americans against terror attacks by bin Laden and other militants. The FBI has warned that more attacks are possible in the coming days.
The developments came as more Afghan civilians died in continuing attacks on the country. The Pentagon said that a missile went astray in Kabul and killed at least four civilians – Albawaba.com
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