Mullen Says Al-Qaida Threat from Yemen Is Serious

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says he believes Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula's boast that it will try to carry out more cheap, small-scale attacks.

Adm. Mike Mullen says the terrorist group in Yemen has grown and is dangerous, and that counterterrorism efforts should focus on its activities.

In an online magazine, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula boasts that it's using cheap and easy methods to attack U.S. targets, pointing to a failed plot to bomb two U.S.-bound cargo planes.

The group says it can "bring down America" with smaller attacks that play on what it calls the "security phobia that is sweeping America."

Mullen told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday he considers the threat to be serious.