Terrorist funding strings irk officials

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- State and local officials say U.S. federal funding for domestic security is linked to combating potential terrorist threats, not homegrown concerns.

Juliette Kayyem, Massachusetts' homeland security adviser, said she learned Massachusetts had to develop a plan to combat improvised explosive devices -- a tactic common in Iraq -- to qualify for its full share of federal aid, The New York Times reported Monday.

"IED's? As in Iraq IEDs?" Kayyem said. "There was no new intelligence about this. It just came out of nowhere."

While not dismissing terrorist threats, local officials said they have little or no intelligence al-Qaida or its possible homegrown offshoots having solid plans for an attack.

Officials said they want to focus counterterrorism programs on issues such as gangs, gun violence and drug trafficking, arguing those programs should qualify because they can portend terrorist attacks, the Times said.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the Times DHS has tried to be flexible, but its programs aren't meant to assist local agencies in day-to-day operations.

"If we drop the barrier and start to lose focus," he said, "we will make it easier to have successful attacks here."