Terrorist plot to poison food in US restaurants: Report

A key intelligence source has confirmed the threat as 8220;credible,8221; it said. The US Department of Homeland Security officials,along with members of the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration,have briefed a small group of corporate security officers from the hotel and restaurant industries about it,the news channel said,

The plot was uncovered earlier this year,the report said,adding it is said to involve the use of two poisons 8211; ricin and cyanide 8211; slipped into salad bars and buffets.

8220;The plotters are believed to be tied to the same terror group that attempted to blow up cargo planes over the east coast in October,al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,8221; the news channel said.

In online propaganda,al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has praised the cargo attack,part of what it called 8220;Operation Hemorrhage8221;,it said.

The propaganda spoke of 8220;8230; attacking the enemy with smaller but more frequent operations8221; to 8220;add a heavy economic burden to an already faltering economy.8221;