"There is a very serious threat of additional problems and, frankly, as the United States responds, that threat may escalate," he said.

Yet the wealth and violent power of the drug empire remains intact, while judges still live in terror and threats against journalists escalate.

The situation rapidly unwinds as harassment and threats escalate to a breaking point and the young officer presses a lawsuit against the department.

The threats eventually escalated to actual destruction of the church by the extremists, and to the subsequent statements by the Aswan governor.

Ryder bursts into Perelman's office and proceeds to berate him until his implied threats escalate to explicit ones.

A situation in which an armed man was in his own house, alone and a threat to no one but himself, had now escalated into a military action.

Fiery language, threats and step-by-step sanctions can escalate almost beyond control.

In times of national crisis, like the two world wars, as threats to internal security escalated, the government's commitment to preserving individual freedoms declined.

However Algiers has sounded warnings that the threat from terrorists groups was escalating in the wake of the Libyan war.

As threats to their business escalate, foreign companies are sharing security information and tightening their lines of communication with Colombia's military intelligence service.