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Homeland Security: Be Vigilant, Report Suspicions

DETROIT (WWJ) -The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning law enforcement across the country that Osama bin Laden's death will likely inspire homegrown extremists in the U.S. to try to carry out attacks in the near-term.

The agencies, late Monday afternoon, issued a joint intelligence bulletin that said the core al-Qaida group is less likely to carry out attacks against the U.S. in the immediate future, but its spin-off groups around the world could use bin Laden's death as an excuse to speed up plans for attacks.

The Director of Wayne County's Homeland Security Department says his department's level of preparedness has not officially been heightened, but travelers abroad should be extra vigilant.

"Any American traveling overseas always needs to check with the State Department to make sure what the level or potential is for danger in the country that they're going to," said James Buford.

Speaking with WWJ Newsradio 950's Mike Campbell, Buford also urged anyone who sees anything suspicious to contact their local police.

Buford said there's a system in place to deal with those reports.

"Any information that comes up -- we make sure it goes through the proper system, that it's vetted, that its gotten back out to the people that need to know it.  That's the key thing when it comes to local information, in the anti-terrorism effort," he said.

For now, Buford said the government has not raised the alert level as that the government has not determined that there is an imminent threat.

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