PLOT TO TOPPLE L.A.'S TALLEST TOWER FOILED BUSH REVEALS 2002 PLAN; MAYOR IRKED OVER TIMING.

Byline: Dan Laidman and Lisa Friedman Staff Writers

Terrorists intended to use shoe bombs to hijack a commercial jetliner and crash it into L.A.'s tallest building, President George W. Bush said Thursday, releasing new details about the thwarted 2002 plot and sparking an angry rebuke from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Bush highlighted the plot against the downtown Library Tower - since renamed the US Bank Tower - during a speech at the National Guard Building in Washington, D.C., about the global fight against terrorists.

``As the West Coast plot shows, in the War on Terror we face a relentless and determined enemy that operates in many nations,'' Bush said.

But Villaraigosa lashed out, saying Bush blindsided city leaders by not adequately informing them in advance about the details of the previously disclosed threat.

``We did not know all the facts that were divulged today,'' Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. ``I think we should have known from the very beginning.''

But U.S. Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Michelle Petrovich said the administration had followed protocol, notifying both the adviser and deputy adviser of the California Department of Homeland Security.

Petrovich said the Los Angeles Police Department also was told that Bush would be discussing the disrupted 2002 terrorist plot that was allegedly the brainchild of captured terrorist ringleader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.

Petrovich said top officials at both agencies informed the federal agency that they would speak with Villaraigosa's office about Bush's planned speech.

``We certainly at the department have a close working relationship with our state and local partners,'' Petrovich said. ``The proper channels were notified to the Mayor's Office.''

Villaraigosa acknowledged that state Homeland Security officials contacted his office with some information - but he said the mayor of America's second-largest city deserved more direct contact and more complete information.

``I would have expected a direct call from the White House,'' he said. ``I'm not expecting a call from the president himself but certainly somebody from the White House informing us of all the things they were going to be saying on national TV.''

Villaraigosa said the new details Bush divulged about the plot, however, have not sparked any additional precautions and there is no information on imminent threats to the city.

Villaraigosa also said he has tried to meet with Bush so they could discuss homeland security during visits to Washington, D.C., but has been been turned down.

The mayor, who last week delivered a national Democratic response to Bush's State of the Union speech, veered close to accusing Bush of partisan motives in divulging the information.

``The timing clearly makes you wonder and I don't want to speculate beyond that,'' he said.

Villaraigosa also reiterated his contention that Los Angeles should get a greater share of federal homeland security funding given its status as a prime terror target.

Bush's proposed budget for fiscal 2007 includes $2.46 billion in homeland security grants for cities across the nation. While the amount each state will receive is unknown, California's share is expected to increase over last year.

Agency officials also have vowed to dole out money based on where the greatest terrorist threats are, a move that could benefit Los Angeles.

General information about al-Qaida targeting the Los Angeles skyscraper - as part of a plan to hit symbols of ``economic might'' - was first revealed in 2004.

To reduce suspicion, Mohammed - the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks who was captured in 2003 - recruited terrorists from Southeast Asia, Bush said. The plot was derailed when an unidentified Asian government arrested a terrorist operative who knew of the plan.

The LAPD has worked with US Bank Tower management on its security and evacuation plans while the bomb squad has studied blast mitigation there, Villaraigosa said.

Fire Chief William Bamattre said his fire companies have specifically trained to rescue people from the rooftops of all 743 of Los Angeles' high-rise buildings.

``We're prepared for these types of incidents,'' Bamattre said.

Law enforcement officials reiterated that there is no specific immediate threat to the city - but still urged vigilance.

``For Los Angeles, I think we can all agree, it's not if but when,'' LAPD Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said. ``We remain a target.''

LAPD Chief William Bratton, who in the past has criticized the federal government for being too slow to share information about threats, was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Bratton was key in starting a network for regional law enforcement officials to share such tips among themselves and McDonnell said the LAPD has been working with regional partners as well as the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Last week, Villaraigosa unveiled a plan to bolster the LAPD counterterrorism bureau and the Fire Department's disaster response, although the $2.6 million price tag fell short of what law enforcement officials had wanted.

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh, in Los Angeles on Thursday for an appearance at Loyola Marymount University, said Los Angeles has been a focus of federal anti-terror efforts since the thwarted attacks on the eve of the millennium.

Dan Laidman, [phone]

dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com

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SOURCE: Associated Press 

Gregg Miller/Staff Writer

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