The national threat level has been raised to the second highest level for the first time since May.

Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the volume of threat-related reports point to a threat that is "greater now than at any time since the attack of September 11, 2001."

Ridge says information indicates that extremists abroad are anticipating near-term attacks that they think will rival or exceed those of September eleventh.

The terror threat level was last raised to orange on May 5th, after attacks in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. The threat level was returned to yellow eleven days later.

Ridge says a specific plan has gone into place to protect the American people.