NYPD News conference shortly...
Oct. 6, 2005 — The New York City Police Department is investigating what it deems a credible tip that 19 operatives have been deployed to New York to place bombs in the subway, and security in the subways will be increased, sources told ABC News.
While the police department is taking the threat seriously, it is also urging the public not to be alarmed because – while the source is credible – the information has not been verified.
According to sources in intelligence, emergency services and police headquarters, when three Iraqi insurgents were recently arrested during a raid by a joint FBI-CIA team, one of those caught disclosed the threat. Because it slipped out during the arrest, the plot was deemed credible.
After several days of work, sources said, the NYPD is increasingly concerned because it has been unable to discredit the initial source and additional information from the source.
The 19 operatives were to place improvised explosive devices in the subways using briefcases, according to two sources.
Threat of attack against NYC subways determined to be a hoax
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Brent
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Threat of attack against NYC subways determined to be a hoax
Last edited by Brent on Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Brent wrote:Something doesn't make sense... why is the NYPD going forward with it? Apparently, they haven't been able to discredit the source which is raising their concern (one media outlet had this news days ago).
Jeanne Messerve mentioned a disconnect between local and federal officials. Local officials don't want to take any chances but the federal government probably looked at and isn't too impressed with the quality of the intelligence.
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I have to say, I think this could be the most credible threat yet just in the way it was presented and the fact that the news organization....I mean, come on...the news organization holding the information???!!! - must have had other really good reasons besides the one given out not to be the first on the block with this info. Even though it's reasonable that they chose to withhold to make sure the investigation was not jeopardized, it had to be one darn important and informational investigation! I guess you'd say, don't go by what the Feds tell you, go by what the news organizations are willing to do and not do - j/k!!
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Authorities Shut Down Section Of Penn Station
POSTED: 5:12 pm EDT October 6, 2005
UPDATED: 10:30 am EDT October 7, 2005
NEW YORK -- As the city coped with news of a terrorist threat, a section of Penn Station was shut down Friday morning as emergency workers in white hazmat suits stood over what appeared to be a red suitcase.
Mike Gallagher, who identified himself as an Amtrak supervisor, said part of the concourse was closed "because of something that was found here." He declined to be more specific.
Police dogs and National Guard members also had been patrolling the transportation hub beneath Madison Square Garden due to heightened security conditions.
"We do have a police situation at Penn Station," said Amtrak spokeswoman Marice Golgoski, who declined to elaborate. "The Amtrak police and the NYPD are involved."
The main entrance at West 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue was closed off with yellow crime scene tape and a portion of the concourse above the tracks was also sealed to the public.
According to Golgoski, Amtrak was still boarding some trains and operating some ticket windows despite the problems. New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road also operate in and out of the midtown Manhattan facility.
The incident came the morning after Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced increased security on the city's subway system due to reports of a possible terrorist threat.
The newly disclosed terror threat against the New York subway has raised the specter of an attack with explosives concealed in a baby stroller and prompted an underground show of force by the nation's largest police department.
"Hopefully, God's with me and I'll be OK," said Vinnie Stella, clutching newspapers under his arm as he entered the subway at Penn Station.
Rob Johnson, 30, said he wasn't worried. "The cops have it under control."
Officials in New York revealed the threat Thursday, saying an FBI source warned that terrorists had plotted to bomb the subway in coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it's of "doubtful credibility."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it the most specific terrorist threat that New York officials had received to date, and promised to flood the subway system with uniformed and undercover officers.
"We have done and will continue to do everything we can to protect this city," Bloomberg said at a nationally televised news conference. "We will spare no resource, we will spare no expense."
At the Port Authority Bus Terminal, more officers were visible on the streets, and one lane of traffic on Ninth Avenue was reserved for emergency vehicles. But at Penn Station during the start of morning rush hour, some subway riders commented on a lack of visible police presence and said no one had searched their bags.
Margarita Morcillo, 60, said she was not concerned about the new threat as she emerged from the subway at the Port Authority.
"We have to press forward. What can you do about it?"
The New York Police Department boosted existing measures to search for bombs in commuters' bags, brief cases and luggage. The threat also involved the possibility that terrorists would pack a baby stroller with a bomb, a law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
The official said the threat was "specific to place," and that the window for the attack was anywhere from Friday through at least the weekend.
In Washington, Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke said "the intelligence community has concluded this information to be of doubtful credibility. We shared this information early on with state and local authorities in New York." Knocke did not elaborate.
A counterterror official, who was briefed about the threat by Homeland Security authorities and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intelligence did not reflect "on-the-ground, detailed, pre-surveillance" methods consistent with credible information. Rather, the official said, the intelligence was similar to "what can be found on the Internet and a map of New York City."
The law enforcement official in New York said that city officials had known about the threat at least since Monday, but held the information until two or three al-Qaida operatives were arrested in Iraq within the past 24 hours. Once the arrests were made, officials felt they could go public, the official said.
Those arrested had received explosives training in Afghanistan, the same official said Friday. They had planned to travel through Syria to New York, and then meet with an unspecified number of operatives to carry out the bombings.
The U.S. military spokesman's office in Baghdad had no information on the arrests. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he had seen no indication of a U.S. military operation to round up al-Qaida operatives.
On Thursday, a television station said it held off on reporting about the subway threat for two days because officials in New York and Washington voiced concerns that public safety could be affected and ongoing operations jeopardized.
NewsChannel 4 reporter Jonathan Dienst, who covers security and terrorism issues, said he started making calls about the threat on Tuesday. Local and federal officials then got in touch, expressing concern that airing the story would do damage.
The station decided to hold off, citing "the intensity of the level of the request," said Dan Forman, vice president of news.
An estimated 4.5 million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations. In July, the city began random subway searches following the London train bombings.
Gov. George Pataki said Thursday the state would call up hundreds of National Guard troops and ask Connecticut and New Jersey to patrol commuter trains.
New York's security level remained at orange, the same level it has stayed at since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Bloomberg said there was no indication that the threat was linked to this month's Jewish holidays.
NJ Transit Steps Up Security
In response to the new terror threat against the New York City subway system, NJ Transit announced Thursday that it has stepped up police patrols, use of K-9 teams and baggage inspections systemwide.
There has been no specific threat to NJ Transit, officials said.
Nevertheless, as a precaution, NJ Transit said it was doubling police patrols at stations and terminals and partnering with state police to ride trains and buses.
In addition, the agency said it was supplementing its normal K-9 unit patrols with additional bomb-sniffing dogs.
NJ Transit urged customers to report suspicious activity to police or call its telephone hotline, 1-888-TIPS-NJT.
Officials in New York revealed the threat on Thursday, saying an FBI source had warned that terrorists had plotted to bomb the subway in the coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it is of "doubtful credibility."
Threat Prompts Rell To Increase Metro-North Security
Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday night ordered increased security on Metro-North trains because of what New York City officials called a credible threat of a potential terrorist attack to their city's subway.
Rell said she renewed an agreement with New York and New Jersey that gives Connecticut state police the power to arrest people on Metro-North trains into New York. The pact also gives New York state police the same powers on trains from New York to Connecticut.
New York officials on Thursday stepped up their mass transit security, mobilizing police officers to begin looking through commuters' strollers, bags, brief cases, and luggage.
The threat involved the possibility that terrorists would pack a baby stroller with explosives and use it to bomb the subway, among other potential bombing methods, a law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it is of "doubtful credibility."
Thursday's action by Rell renewed an agreement between Connecticut, New York and New Jersey that was put into place following the bombings of London's subway system.
"We have no -- repeat no -- information about a threat to Metro-North trains or to Connecticut," Rell said. "This is a reasonable precaution and a prudent step we are taking to protect the tens of thousands of Connecticut residents who ride Metro-North every day, but not an indication of any specific information or heightened threat."
The governor asked commuters to watch for anything suspicious, including unattended bags or briefcases, and alert uniformed state troopers or Metro-North workers.
The New Haven line of Metro-North is one of the busiest rail lines in the United States. It carries about 110,000 riders a day.
POSTED: 5:12 pm EDT October 6, 2005
UPDATED: 10:30 am EDT October 7, 2005
NEW YORK -- As the city coped with news of a terrorist threat, a section of Penn Station was shut down Friday morning as emergency workers in white hazmat suits stood over what appeared to be a red suitcase.
Mike Gallagher, who identified himself as an Amtrak supervisor, said part of the concourse was closed "because of something that was found here." He declined to be more specific.
Police dogs and National Guard members also had been patrolling the transportation hub beneath Madison Square Garden due to heightened security conditions.
"We do have a police situation at Penn Station," said Amtrak spokeswoman Marice Golgoski, who declined to elaborate. "The Amtrak police and the NYPD are involved."
The main entrance at West 33rd Street and Eighth Avenue was closed off with yellow crime scene tape and a portion of the concourse above the tracks was also sealed to the public.
According to Golgoski, Amtrak was still boarding some trains and operating some ticket windows despite the problems. New Jersey Transit and the Long Island Rail Road also operate in and out of the midtown Manhattan facility.
The incident came the morning after Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced increased security on the city's subway system due to reports of a possible terrorist threat.
The newly disclosed terror threat against the New York subway has raised the specter of an attack with explosives concealed in a baby stroller and prompted an underground show of force by the nation's largest police department.
"Hopefully, God's with me and I'll be OK," said Vinnie Stella, clutching newspapers under his arm as he entered the subway at Penn Station.
Rob Johnson, 30, said he wasn't worried. "The cops have it under control."
Officials in New York revealed the threat Thursday, saying an FBI source warned that terrorists had plotted to bomb the subway in coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it's of "doubtful credibility."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called it the most specific terrorist threat that New York officials had received to date, and promised to flood the subway system with uniformed and undercover officers.
"We have done and will continue to do everything we can to protect this city," Bloomberg said at a nationally televised news conference. "We will spare no resource, we will spare no expense."
At the Port Authority Bus Terminal, more officers were visible on the streets, and one lane of traffic on Ninth Avenue was reserved for emergency vehicles. But at Penn Station during the start of morning rush hour, some subway riders commented on a lack of visible police presence and said no one had searched their bags.
Margarita Morcillo, 60, said she was not concerned about the new threat as she emerged from the subway at the Port Authority.
"We have to press forward. What can you do about it?"
The New York Police Department boosted existing measures to search for bombs in commuters' bags, brief cases and luggage. The threat also involved the possibility that terrorists would pack a baby stroller with a bomb, a law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
The official said the threat was "specific to place," and that the window for the attack was anywhere from Friday through at least the weekend.
In Washington, Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke said "the intelligence community has concluded this information to be of doubtful credibility. We shared this information early on with state and local authorities in New York." Knocke did not elaborate.
A counterterror official, who was briefed about the threat by Homeland Security authorities and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the intelligence did not reflect "on-the-ground, detailed, pre-surveillance" methods consistent with credible information. Rather, the official said, the intelligence was similar to "what can be found on the Internet and a map of New York City."
The law enforcement official in New York said that city officials had known about the threat at least since Monday, but held the information until two or three al-Qaida operatives were arrested in Iraq within the past 24 hours. Once the arrests were made, officials felt they could go public, the official said.
Those arrested had received explosives training in Afghanistan, the same official said Friday. They had planned to travel through Syria to New York, and then meet with an unspecified number of operatives to carry out the bombings.
The U.S. military spokesman's office in Baghdad had no information on the arrests. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he had seen no indication of a U.S. military operation to round up al-Qaida operatives.
On Thursday, a television station said it held off on reporting about the subway threat for two days because officials in New York and Washington voiced concerns that public safety could be affected and ongoing operations jeopardized.
NewsChannel 4 reporter Jonathan Dienst, who covers security and terrorism issues, said he started making calls about the threat on Tuesday. Local and federal officials then got in touch, expressing concern that airing the story would do damage.
The station decided to hold off, citing "the intensity of the level of the request," said Dan Forman, vice president of news.
An estimated 4.5 million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations. In July, the city began random subway searches following the London train bombings.
Gov. George Pataki said Thursday the state would call up hundreds of National Guard troops and ask Connecticut and New Jersey to patrol commuter trains.
New York's security level remained at orange, the same level it has stayed at since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Bloomberg said there was no indication that the threat was linked to this month's Jewish holidays.
NJ Transit Steps Up Security
In response to the new terror threat against the New York City subway system, NJ Transit announced Thursday that it has stepped up police patrols, use of K-9 teams and baggage inspections systemwide.
There has been no specific threat to NJ Transit, officials said.
Nevertheless, as a precaution, NJ Transit said it was doubling police patrols at stations and terminals and partnering with state police to ride trains and buses.
In addition, the agency said it was supplementing its normal K-9 unit patrols with additional bomb-sniffing dogs.
NJ Transit urged customers to report suspicious activity to police or call its telephone hotline, 1-888-TIPS-NJT.
Officials in New York revealed the threat on Thursday, saying an FBI source had warned that terrorists had plotted to bomb the subway in the coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it is of "doubtful credibility."
Threat Prompts Rell To Increase Metro-North Security
Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday night ordered increased security on Metro-North trains because of what New York City officials called a credible threat of a potential terrorist attack to their city's subway.
Rell said she renewed an agreement with New York and New Jersey that gives Connecticut state police the power to arrest people on Metro-North trains into New York. The pact also gives New York state police the same powers on trains from New York to Connecticut.
New York officials on Thursday stepped up their mass transit security, mobilizing police officers to begin looking through commuters' strollers, bags, brief cases, and luggage.
The threat involved the possibility that terrorists would pack a baby stroller with explosives and use it to bomb the subway, among other potential bombing methods, a law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it is of "doubtful credibility."
Thursday's action by Rell renewed an agreement between Connecticut, New York and New Jersey that was put into place following the bombings of London's subway system.
"We have no -- repeat no -- information about a threat to Metro-North trains or to Connecticut," Rell said. "This is a reasonable precaution and a prudent step we are taking to protect the tens of thousands of Connecticut residents who ride Metro-North every day, but not an indication of any specific information or heightened threat."
The governor asked commuters to watch for anything suspicious, including unattended bags or briefcases, and alert uniformed state troopers or Metro-North workers.
The New Haven line of Metro-North is one of the busiest rail lines in the United States. It carries about 110,000 riders a day.
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Brent
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jason0509 wrote:I heard last night that one of the allegations is that 19 suicide bombers were coming to New York with bombs in baby carriages. I mean come on are we supposed to believe that????
It's believable... remember, they have to blend in and not draw in attention. Who would suspect someone with a baby carriage of having a bomb?
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BEER980 wrote:Well I don't find it too credible.
Despite the number "19" (number of 9-11 hijackers) and threats of a "Great Ramadan Offensive" worldwide, I'd be more likely to think this is intentional "disinformation"; keeping our attention diverted from the site(s) of genuine targeting.
By RE-acting instead of PRO-acting, we are playing right into the jihadists' hands...and they are laughing.
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Brent I was not responding to you, just responding to the thread. If it was a response to you I would have said it was unbelievable. Just at the surface the whole thing looks shakey.
We catach a couple of guys in Iraq and they start singing about an attack about to happen with very specific details? If they are getting news from over here they would know from the last time that we start searching bags when there is an alert or specific target mentioned. They would not risk an operation by tipping us off when captured. At best they might say "just wait and see what we have planed for next week in New York". I don't think these guys are having regular contact with the cells that are here. They are tied up fighting us. If they are contacting cells then it looks like we are not intercepting them so we have some intel holes to look into. The media decided it needed a story to hype and this was in their backyard. The suicide bomber story from last weekend got swept under the carpet for some reason and this one got play.
We catach a couple of guys in Iraq and they start singing about an attack about to happen with very specific details? If they are getting news from over here they would know from the last time that we start searching bags when there is an alert or specific target mentioned. They would not risk an operation by tipping us off when captured. At best they might say "just wait and see what we have planed for next week in New York". I don't think these guys are having regular contact with the cells that are here. They are tied up fighting us. If they are contacting cells then it looks like we are not intercepting them so we have some intel holes to look into. The media decided it needed a story to hype and this was in their backyard. The suicide bomber story from last weekend got swept under the carpet for some reason and this one got play.
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Brent
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f5 wrote:remember London was caught off guard until it was too late better safe than sorry
While I agree... too many "false alarms" and then you get into the Cry Wolf syndrome. Let's face it... the terrorists are NOT going to strike when we are on high alert or are expecting an attack, and we cannot keep up the high alert forever.
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Terrorists are not stupid they do this to test where the homland security lapses are and guess who exposed those holes a hurricane named Katrina.She was just a practice run to see if were prepared for a bio/nuclear strike.as bad as she maybe she will be a walk in the park compared to a member of al qaeda setting up a suitcase nuke in a NYC subway.
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f5 wrote:Terrorists are not stupid they do this to test where the homland security lapses are and guess who exposed those holes a hurricane named Katrina.She was just a practice run to see if were prepared for a bio/nuclear strike.as bad as she maybe she will be a walk in the park compared to a member of al qaeda setting up a suitcase nuke in a NYC subway.
I would wager a strong guess that Al Qaeda is nowhere near being capable owning a "suitcase nuke", let alone smuggling one into America and detonating it. As an organization they are effectively defunct, with formerly linked remnants setting up new, independent organizations under the old banner. We have seen no spectacular attacks against us because the networks are no longer operationally capable of carrying such things out. Our intel has been turning the screws on people (sometimes literally) to break these networks, and diplomatic and military posture have ensured that the money has dried up on these people. (It also doesn't hurt that we've bought out the Pakistani government). Yes, terrorism can happen in America, but some sense of reality is being lost here. Bombing a subway is one thing, nuking a city is something entirely different. Any jackass teenager with a cellphone and a cursory understanding of chemisty and electronics can blow up a subway car. (Heck, a briefcase full of gasoline and a Zippo will achieve this, to some extent.) Blowing up a city requires more or less the backing of a nation to accomplish. Operational planning, materials aquisition, counter-intelligence, etc. It's not something a rag-tag group of underfunded guys with shoestring C3I can pull off, especially with Pakistani military and American special ops on their butt. And a nation tends to have assets that respond negatively to megatons. It's harder to be El Presidente or Fearless Leader after B2 bombers have reduced the best real estate and military toys in your country to glowing ash, and as such I doubt we'll ever see a nation knowingly back a group that would attempt to destroy a major American city.
As Katrina demonstrated, we have more than enough things to be fearful of and prepared for than to get all in a flutter over the barely-existent threat of suitcase nukes. I'm more worried about the current "billions of people could die" plague that the eggheads keep shouting about, myself. I have a feeling that History will look back at the early 21st century as a time when America went somewhat crazy with terrorism panic, just as Americans went a little commie-crazy in the 50s.
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