TERROR CONCERNS CONTINUE – AT 8:42 A.M. ET:  Europe is especially nervous about the possibility of an imminent terror attack:

Intelligence services throughout the Middle East and Europe are scrambling to track down more than two dozen fighters linked to al-Qaida who have recently left their base in southern Lebanon.

The missing men are thought to have gone to Europe by a newly established route through Syria, Turkey and the Balkans, and multiple intelligence sources in Lebanon warn that the group appears to be operational and could be planning attacks in Europe in the holiday season.

"Yes, they have left the camp," confirmed Munir al-Maqda, a senior Palestine Liberation Organisation official in the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp, where the fighters had been hiding for the past few years. Because the Lebanese army is not allowed to enter the country's 13 Palestinian refugee camps, militants have long sought refuge inside them.

Two Lebanese intelligence service officials – who could only discuss the matter off the record – said Lebanon was co-operating with European intelligence organisations to track down the militants, who are described as "extremely dangerous."

COMMENT:  And there are persistent reports that American authorities are going to give increased attention to rail lines and hotels.  The fear here is a Mumbai-style attack where a hotel is taken over by terrorists who have checked in as guests.  There is also an elevated concern here about malls, which are open and vulnerable. 

December 27, 2010