U.S. buffets and salad bars 'threatened with poison attacks’ by Al Qaeda group behind 'ink cartridge' bomb plot 

Al Qaeda terrorists planned to poison food at multiple US hotels and restaurants over a single weekend, it has been revealed this morning.

The 'credible' plot involved slipping the poisons cyanide and ricin into salad bars and buffets, according to CBS news.

The terrorist group behind the failed 'ink cartridge' attacks on cargo planes in October were said to have hatched the plan.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula branded the plot 'Operation Haemorrhage'.

Militants say the plot consists of 'attacking the enemy with smaller but more frequent operations' to 'add a heavy economic burden to an already faltering economy'.

Scroll down to view the CBS News report

   

Attacks: The Al Qaeda-influenced group could poison Americans by poisoning buffets and salad bars in synchronised attacks in restaurants  over a weekend

Department of Homeland Security officials, along with members of the Department of Agriculture and the FDA, have briefed a small group of corporate security officers from the hotel and restaurant industries about it.

'We operate under the premise that individuals prepared to carry out terrorist acts are in this country,' said Janet Napolirano of Homeland Security a fortnight ago.

The subtle attacks would ‘initially look very much like food poisoning’, said professor of pharmaceutical sciences at St. John's University, Dr Susan Ford.

Poisons: Al Qaeda websites provide information on how to make cyanide (left) and ricin (right), the toxic substances that could be used in the attacks

In the CBS News report she illustrates how just a tiny portion of each poison could prove fatal. ‘250 milligrams… that is the fatal dose,’ said Dr Ford.

However, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the public would not be made aware of certain threats. 

He said: 'A threat you might feel is sufficiently specific and credible to tell the people who are professionally involved might not be specific or credible enough to tell the general public.'

Mr Chertoff added that it would be important to inform public health officials so that they know how to react to what may initially appear to be food poisoning, if, indeed, it was a terrorist attack.

Yesterday Department of Homeland Security spokesman Sean Smith said: 'We are not going to comment on reports of specific terrorist planning.

‘However, the counter-terrorism and homeland security communities have engaged in extensive efforts for many years to guard against all types of terrorist attacks, including unconventional attacks using chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials.

‘Indeed, Al Qaeda has publicly stated its intention to try to carry out unconventional attacks for well over a decade, and AQAP propaganda in the past year has made similar reference.

'Finally, we get reports about the different kinds of attacks terrorists would like to carry out that frequently are beyond their assessed capability.'

o