"Federal officials assured us that Washington state is not under any credible threat of any attack," Locke said.

Washington National Guard Gen. Tim Lowenberg said the picture was taken from some distance away and had little intelligence value.

ABC News reports that the bulk of the documents reportedly found in Afghanistan were found in the home of top bin Laden lieutenant Mohammad Atef. Atef's home was also the place where the five martyrdom videos were found earlier this month.

U.S. government sources say that because the information was not part of any specific threat, for example, a mode of attack or time or place, it is not considered a high level threat. Seattle was simply notified out of an abundance of caution.

Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said the FBI informed him of the picture several days ago.

"We are taking it seriously, but we don't believe there's any reason for undue concern," he said.

The governor told reporters that federal officials notified the state last week of the new information, but didn't believe it posed a genuine threat. He said it wasn't made public because it wasn't a credible threat and because it's part of a government investigation.

Locke said the state's level of security alert was not increased after the report was received. "We are constantly vigilant," he said.

ABC News reports that among the items found in Afghanistan in addition to the photograph of the Space Needle were documents referencing Washington D.C., including one specifically pinpointing the U.S. Capitol. Also found was a satellite image of a six-block area that appears to be a portion of Los Angeles.

ABC News says the documents are just pictures or maps with locations circled with no dates or modes of attack accompanying them.

Other reports said evidence indicated large hydroelectric dams in Washington state, such as the Grand Coulee Dam, were also potential targets.

Neither Locke nor Lowenberg would discuss any potential targets other than the Space Needle but the governor repeatedly offered reassurance.

"Again, I want to assure the people of the state of Washington that we have no credible information of any threat of a terrorist attack against the Space Needle or any facility in our state," Locke said.

He repeated his call for tougher penalties against terrorists.

At least two members of the state's congressional delegation - Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks and Republican Rep. Jennifer Dunn - were not surprised to hear the report.

They have been advised for some time that sites in the region are possible targets.

"It is just a real wake-up to us in Washington state. We weren't a victim on Sept. 11," Dicks said. But "we've got to be vigilant."

"People have to understand that this sort of thing is going to be happening. As we take over (the terrorists') headquarters, we are going to find information," Dunn said.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels says echoed there were no specific threats.

"We have nothing specific," Nickels told KOMO 4 News, "just information that's been uncovered that indicates that people have thought about Seattle as a potential target."

He added, "Amongst the information found was a picture of the Kingdome, so we don't know how old this information is. We don't know really the source of it with any specificity. It's just a reminder that we need to be careful."

The news did raise concerns in the state where Algerian Ahmed Ressam was arrested with a car trunk full of explosives as he arrived at Port Angeles, by ferry from British Columbia in December 1999. Ressam, who trained in Osama bin Laden-financed terrorist camps in Afghanistan, was convicted of plotting to blow up Los Angeles International Airport.

After Ressam's arrest, Seattle canceled the New Year's Eve Space Needle celebrations planned for Dec. 31, 1999.

Ressam had a reservation at a motel near the Space Needle.

Mary Bacarella, a spokeswoman for the company that operates the Space Needle, said security precautions were in place at the Seattle landmark.

"We're checking bags. We check everything that comes through the security dock," she told KOMO 4 News. "We're kind of on a neighborhood watch with our neighbors here at the Seattle Center, so we're doing a number of things."

The Bureau of Reclamation's Craig Sprankle, a spokesman for the Grand Coulee Dam, said he would not discuss any recent warnings.

Since Sept. 11, the dam has been on highest alert, eliminating public tours, closing the road over the dam, shutting down fishing at the base of the dam and requiring all employees to wear badges.

In Washington, D.C., a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that diagrams of American nuclear power plants found by U.S. forces in Afghanistan show al-Qaida's interest in striking them , but it's unclear how far along those plans were.

In addition, documents recently uncovered in a suspected al-Qaida safe house in Kabul include rudimentary designs for a nuclear weapon, according to an unclassified U.S. intelligence report released on Wednesday.

The discoveries highlight the dangers posed by the terrorist network, officials said.

Military officials are unaware of any finds noting specific times or operatives who would conduct an attack on a nuclear power plant. Instead, the documents seem to be part of al-Qaida's research and planning effort, and they provide insight to the terrorist group's thought process in designing possible attacks, said the official.

Some of the material recovered appears to be from public sources such as magazines. It is not known how al-Qaida came by the rest.

In Washington state, Don McManman, spokesman for Energy Northwest, which operates the region's only nuclear power plant, near Richland, said, "We've had no credible threat against that station and we expect none."

A new FBI warning Wednesday said al-Qaida members may have been studying U.S. dams and water-supply systems in preparation for new attacks, and that they sought information on the Internet about insecticides and pest-control products.