Coast Guard warns of waterfront threat

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Coast Guard has relayed information of a new national terrorist threat from scuba divers or swimmers along the nation's coastline.

An original "Maritime Threat Report" went out Friday, and a government official said Sunday that the maritime industry -- including ferry boats and cruise ships -- was notified by the Coast Guard.

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The official would not speculate on scenarios or targets, or discuss specific security actions taken by the Coast Guard or other security agencies. A Coast Guard official in Washington told CNN the report "was carefully thought out to get the word out to the right people."

The threat report was based on additional information that came into more than one federal agency and involved both scuba divers and swimmers, the official said. Federal law enforcement recently has been checking with scuba shops and dive schools to corroborate information already received.

A U.S. Coast Guard commander said Sunday that a warning and news release issued by the Puget Sound, Washington, Coast Guard unit was "a little too aggressive" and had been misinterpreted to be limited to the waters of Puget Sound, when in fact it was part of the national new threat alert issued Friday night.

But it was the Puget Sound unit's release of information, now thought to be mistaken, that triggered Sunday's clarification by the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Jim McPherson said he could not say what agency had initially issued the warning, nor could he discuss specifics of possible targets. McPherson also said the alert was a new message, and that the Coast Guard was working in conjunction with the FBI in "additional maritime threat reporting."

Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard's 13th District issued a warning of a "credible" terrorist maritime threat from swimmers and divers in Washington's Puget Sound area. The Coast Guard official in Washington did not use the term "credible."

"The captain of the port has notified individual maritime industry and port authority stakeholders throughout the region," said Coast Guard Lt. Scott Casad in Seattle. "Based on information received across the U.S. government, there is a credible threat to maritime interests from swimmers and divers."

He said the warning did not change the threat level of the Homeland Security Advisory System, currently at yellow.

McPherson said the Coast Guard still urges anyone who witnesses any suspicious activity to call the National Response Center at (800) 424-8802.

--CNN Correspondent Jeanne Meserve contributed to this report