The United States has put the country on a "high" level of alert for terrorist car bomb attacks on the eve of the anniversary of the September 11 atrocities.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said "At this time most intelligence focuses on potential attacks on US interests overseas."
Speaking at a news conference, flanked by Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge and FBI Director Robert Muller, Ashcroft said there was a risk of attacks on US interests in Asia and several embassies in Asia had been ordered closed.
"Information indicates that al-Qaeda cells have been established in several South Asian countries in order to conduct car bombs and other attacks on US facilities," said Ashcroft.
Al-Qaeda is blamed for last year's attacks which left more than 3,000 dead in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
"These cells have been accumulating explosives sinxe approximately January of this year in preparation for these attacks," he said.
The increased alert, "which Americans have heard before, is based on specific intelligence...that heightened awareness and readiness deters terrorism," said Ashcroft.
"We believe there is an elevated risk and we want to make the American people aware of this," he said.
"This heightened threat level has been communicated to local and state authorities, federal agencies and members of Congress," said Ridge.
"We are now at high risk of a terrorist attack," said Ridge.
AFP