Local News

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger activated the National Guard Thursday to bolster security at California airports after authorities said they had foiled a terror plot involving U.S.-bound planes from Britain.

"I have ordered the redeployment of security assets to high-priority locations to respond to this threat," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "These assets include bomb-sniffing dogs, the California National Guard, and the California Highway Patrol, in concert with local and federal law enforcement agencies."

Some 300 Guard troops were to be deployed to at least three large airports — in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland — where direct flights from Europe were scheduled to arrive.

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The first soldiers were to arrive in San Francisco, Oakland by 10 p.m. Thursday, with others arriving in Los Angeles by 5 a.m. Friday, according to California National Guard Maj. Gen. William Wade.

"The focus at this point is on the larger commercial airports in California, specifically those that have direct flights to and from Europe," Wade said.

State officials said they were working to determine if additional troops should also be deployed to other airports such as San Jose and Sacramento later in the week.

Schwarzenegger said the National Guard troops would remain at California airports until the threat level returns to yellow. He said the California Highway Patrol also was in a heightened state of alert.

"I can assure the people of California that we are doing everything to keep the people safe and return our airports to normal operations as quickly as possible," Schwarzenegger said.

U.S. counterterrorism officials said the alleged plotters envisioned blowing up multiple aircraft, and these officials said flights to California, New York and Washington were targeted. But the governor's homeland security director, Matthew Bettenhausen, said "specific cities and targets were not known to be part of the plot." Bettenhausen formerly worked for the Department of Homeland Security in Washington.

Bettenhausen also said that because 21 suspects were arrested in England, "it was believed the plot was disrupted." But, he said, government agencies were acting out of an abundance of caution, mindful of the risk that other plotters had not been apprehended, or that copycats might try to "take advantage of this."

DHS raised the threat level to "red" for flights from Britain, the first time the highest threat of terrorist attack had been invoked since the system was created after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. All other flights were under an "orange" alert — one step below red.

The deployment will not affect the Guard's mission at the Mexican border, where they have been helping Customs officials stanch the flow of illegal immigration, Wade said. "We have robust capability to still respond to other emergencies within the state," he said.

California was the second state to activate the National Guard at its airports, following Massachusetts.

"I have taken immediate steps to enhance the security of California's airports and protect the people of this state," Schwarzenegger said.

While San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said he appreciated Schwarzenegger's willingness to reach out personally to him and to send National Guard soldiers to San Francisco International Airport, he stressed that SFO already has good security measures in place.

"We're pleased to have additional resources," Newsom said. He expects the National Guard to work primarily on the airport's perimeter and fuel storage areas.

Newsom said that as of Thursday afternoon, he had not been notified of any specific threats to San Francisco or its airport.

Even ahead of the troops' arrival, a heightened security presence was noticeable at the airports. Transportation Security Administration personnel, airport police and local police were on hand, officials said.

"Everybody who goes and travels is going to see a significantly heightened security presence as well as an increased screening process, much of it by hand as well as X-ray equipment," said Chris Bertelli, a spokesman for the governor's Office of Homeland Security.

The office served as an information hub between federal and state agencies and airports, ensuring they understood security measures hastily put in place Thursday morning.

Travelers, many of them moving about the country on summer vacations, were barred from bringing liquids and gels including drinks, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams and toothpaste, among other items.

Chertoff said the terrorists planned to use liquid explosives disguised as beverages and other common products and set them off with detonators disguised as electronic devices.

Searches for those items was causing considerable backups at San Francisco International Airport. Screening passengers usually takes an average of six minutes; Thursday, it was at least an hour, airport duty manager Doug Lyon said.

The United Airlines terminal was a scene of high tension with confused travelers pushing and elbowing each other.

"I think it's ridiculous," said Kathy McMahon, 49, of Mill Valley, who was frantically helping her daughter, bound for college in New Jersey, stuff sunscreen, makeup, contact lens solution and other liquids into her suitcases. "But we'll do it anyway. What are you going to do?"

Laurence Fetters, federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport, said there was no information indicating the airport or any inbound flights had been targeted. Even so, he urged outbound passengers to leave plenty of time before flights.

At LAX, Minneapolis-bound passenger Sunita Reddy, 25, applied a few final dabs of lotion to her hands and face before dropping the tubes into a large blue trash bin set up by the security staff.

"I think it's OK, it's for the public good," she said. "It's cheap stuff anyway."

Ray Watson, 40, of Denver, mused that companies that make toiletries will make millions when passengers go to replace all their discarded personal products

"The Dumpsters in Phoenix were filled with shampoo and toothpaste," Watson said as he waited to pick up his luggage in Los Angeles.

At Oakland International Airport, officials were also contending with a power outage. All security equipment was running on backup generators, said Cyndy Johnson, an airport spokeswoman.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)