WASHINGTON, Oct 9: US Vice President Dick Cheney was spending a third straight day at an undisclosed location as a security precaution, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on Tuesday.
President George W. Bush, who was at the White House, and top US officials have warned about the possibility of reprisal attacks against Americans in response to military strikes in Afghanistan.
Cheney was moved from his Washington residence to an undisclosed, secure location when the US-led air raids began on Sunday. Officials described the move as a security precaution.
“The vice president remains at a secure location, where he is fully and completely informed of all events and is participating,” Fleischer said. “He has modern technology available to him at the undisclosed location.”
Fleischer called the threat of further attacks after last month’s hijacked plane assaults on New York and Washington “ongoing and general”.
“This is a time of war,” he said. “It’s very important for everybody in this room and for all people to remember, it remains a time of war and threats remain.”
“With one exception, December 7, 1941, this is the first time our nation has been hit by action of this nature in 150 years or so, and it has changed things,” he said. “And that is why these steps have been taken. And this is a time of war. It is a time to take all proper precautions.”
The 60-year-old vice president, who would take over if Bush were incapacitated or killed, has suffered from heart disease for more than two decades. He had a pacemaker device implanted in his chest in June after his doctors detected abnormal heart rhythms.—Reuters
