Ridge Says U.S. Has No Specific Election Threats
Sat Oct 30, 2004 06:08 PM ET

By Caroline Drees, Security Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite a new Osama bin Laden videotape threatening more attacks, U.S. officials have received no specific information about election day threats and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Saturday urged Americans to feel safe when they vote.

"It's important to know ... there is no specific intelligence that targets election day, polling places and the like. The threat has always been directed to the American homeland and we need to understand that," Ridge told a press briefing.

"First of all we want to make sure that people feel safe and comfortable about going to vote," he said, affirming there were no plans to raise the terror threat level, which now stands at "elevated" or yellow.