WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government begins an unusually open offensive this week aimed at disrupting potential terrorist plots before and during the November election, The Washington Post reported Monday.
The effort includes heavy surveillance by the FBI, increased checks of terrorism watch lists by local police and heightened security at polling places on Nov. 2, the newspaper reported, citing U.S. officials.
Officials said they had no new or specific intelligence about plans for an attack, the Post said. But by publicizing the government's actions, authorities hope to forestall any plans by al Qaeda or others who might try to influence the presidential election, the newspaper reported.
A national election security planning bulletin will be sent Monday to the 50 states and Washington, with guidelines for coordination of law enforcement, polling place and ballot-counting security, according to the Post.
An FBI spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
The newspaper said authorities were focused on several dates, starting with the annual meetings that begin Friday at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
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