National Guard troops to withdraw from Los Angeles International

LOS ANGELES (AP) With the national terror alert level lowered from orange to yellow Wednesday, Gov. Gray Davis ordered the withdrawal of National Guard troops from Los Angeles International Airport.

Troops have been deployed at the airport for three weeks. They were assigned to patrol the airport perimeter and outside checkpoints to protect against a possible terrorist attack.

The governor said their mission is complete.

``The Guard's deployment effectively satisfied our security needs during a period of heightened alert while America was at war,'' Davis said.

The Bush administration said it lowered the threat level because the end of heavy fighting in Iraq has diminished the threat of terrorism in the United States.

The threat was raised on March 17, two days before the war began.

At least 40 troops were deployed to Los Angeles International on March 25 after a request from Mayor James K. Hahn. At the time, the governor said the deployment would end when the nation was no longer at orange alert.

The soldiers will probably be gone by the weekend, said airport spokesman Tom Winfrey. He assured passengers that the world's third busiest airport remained safe.

``Yellow is still an elevated level,'' Winfrey said. ``Los Angeles International Airport has its security plan and adjusts the measures accordingly. We are still vigilant and at an elevated level of security.''

The state said it would pay the cost of the deployment, estimated at $110,000 for the first 10 days and $14,000 a day after that.

The airport, which handled an average of 4.7 million passengers a month last year, has been ranked first on a list of potential California terrorist targets distributed by the state attorney general to law enforcement agencies.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)