US lawmaker says Qaeda threat most serious in years

The al Qaeda threat that closed US embassies in the Middle East on Sunday is the most serious in years and the "chatter" among suspected terrorists is reminiscent of what preceded the September 11 attacks, a US lawmaker who is briefed on intelligence said.

"There is an awful lot of chatter out there," Senator Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on NBC's "Meet the Press. "This is the most serious threat that I've seen in the last several years," Chambliss said. (Reuters)