Threat to malls downplayed

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Reports that al-Qaida operatives may be planning holiday attacks on U.S. shopping malls are based on information from dubious sources, federal officials said.

An FBI intelligence report distributed Thursday to law enforcement against across the United States said al-Qaida "hoped to disrupt the U.S. economy and has been planning the attack for two years" on malls in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Law enforcement officials told ABCNews.com the FBI got the information in September and declassified it Wednesday for distribution.

However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Thursday the threat "was delivered from a questionable source with unknown intentions."

"The intelligence gathered has not been corroborated nor deemed credible by the FBI at this time," the statement said.

The DHS said it is in regular communication with the FBI about potential threats and that "no specific measures or alerts are being called for at this time."