As millions of New Yorkers prepared for their Thanksgiving day celebrations, the FBI and the NYPD issued a guarded terror warning for the New York City transit network. While the threat sounds remote, city officials are ramping up patrols in the subway system are and are urging passengers to remain alert.
The Times had more:
Federal authorities in Washington informed law enforcement officials in New York this week of a possible Al Qaeda plot to bomb transportation systems in and around New York City. But officials sought to play down the significance of the threat on Wednesday, in marked contrast to previous cases in which they issued public warnings of possible terrorist attacks in the region.
In this case, an intelligence bulletin sent on Tuesday to city officials said that the F.B.I. had received “uncorroborated but plausible information” that, in late September, Al Qaeda terrorists may have discussed attacks on transit systems in the metropolitan area, including the city’s subway system, a federal official said on Wednesday.
The information was included in a routine document given each month to local law enforcement officials “for their information, so they can look at it and take whatever measures they deem appropriate,” another official said.
The terrorists, according to the document, reportedly contemplated deploying suicide bombers or using explosives set off by remote control. In response to the bulletin, federal and local law enforcement agencies in and around New York City increased patrols on Wednesday.
In response to this news, the MTA released a statement on Wednesday afternoon:
The MTA is aware of an unsubstantiated report of terrorist threats against transit properties during the holiday season. We are already on high alert and are always on a heightened state of readiness during this season. We have been working closely with local, state and federal law enforcement to increase police presence throughout our transportation system. As always, we ask that our customers remain alert and report any suspicious activity or packages, but there is no reason to be alarmed.
With the unrelated bombing in Mumbai fresh on everyone’s mind, this news will be sobering. Travel safely on Thanksgiving and be vigilant.
Just a service note: Trains are operating on Sunday schedules today. There will be a whole slate of service changes for the weekend that I will post on Friday.
1 comment
I lost my bookbag on the subway yesterday, which contains my laptop and my passport. Here’s hoping that it wasn’t destroyed as a potential bomb.