Interior Secretary Santiago Creel denied Wednesday that international terrorists were in Mexican territory, shooting down reports that a high-ranking al Qaeda member may be trying to pass through this country to reach the United States. Creel, appearing before lawmakers, said no terrorists had passed through Mexico on their way to the United States or any other country.
U.S. officials have long worried terrorists would use Mexico's porous border with the United States to launch an attack. But so far there has been no direct evidence of that.
However, recent reports have heightened security levels.
The FBI issued a borderwide alert last month for Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, a 29-yearold Saudi pilot suspected of being a terrorist cell leader.
In June, Honduran officials said Shukrijumah was spotted earlier this year at an internet cafe in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Panamanian officials say the pilot and alleged bombmaker passed through their country before the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in May singled out Shukrijumah as one of seven especially dangerous al Qaeda-linked terror figures wanted by the government.
