FBI puts banks on terror alert

The FBI has said that it has received warnings that terrorists are planning attacks against banks in the north east of the USA.

It said that while it had no information about any specific plot, a general alert had been issued to banks in 12 states and the capital, Washington DC.

The warning came as the world's finance ministers gathered in Washington for a meeting of the World Bank and IMF.

The FBI did not reveal who was behind the threat, but Attorney General John Ashcroft said that the terrorists' warning had come "as part of their campaign against the US".