Terror Plot Has Marks of Al-Qaeda, Chertoff Says

The 21 terrorist suspects arrested in the U.K. overnight had a ``well-advanced plan'' to detonate electronic devices or liquid explosives disguised as beverages onboard U.S.-bound aircraft, a sophisticated plot suggestive of al-Qaeda, U.S. officials said.

``This operation is in some respects suggestive of an al- Qaeda plot,'' Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said said at a news conference in Washington.

FBI Director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, appearing with Chertoff, drew the same conclusion. ``This had the earmarks of an al-Qaeda plot,'' Mueller said. ``A plot of this sophistication is suggestive of al-Qaeda tactics,'' said Gonzales.

Chertoff said U.S. security is being tightened ``to make sure there are no remaining threats out there.''