Posted 11:35 a.m. Feb. 7

by Zeb Eckert
U-WIRE Washington Bureau Chief

The nation’s terror alert system will be raised to orange this afternoon, the highest threat level in nearly a year, the Associated Press is reporting.

The announcement will be made at a 12:30 p.m. news conference with Attorney General John Aschcroft and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

A code orange alert indicates a “high” risk of terrorist attacks while a yellow alert indicates a “significant” risk of attacks. The heightened alert comes two days after the State Department issued a worlwide warning to Americans abroad to be cautious of their surroundings.

While the government says there is no specific threat, they do have increased intelligence about a possible attack, CNN reported on its website.

The system, officially known as the Homeland Security Advisory System, was instituted in March 2002. The last time there was a code orange level was during the July 4 holiday last year.