Posted on 07/31/2004 9:55:02 PM PDT by sarcasm
he New York Police Department, responding to new information that terrorists may be planning to attack corporations or large public institutions in the city, last night advised building managers and corporate security personnel to step up their procedures to guard against vehicles rigged with explosives and against chemical agents placed in ventilation systems.
The warning followed meetings on Friday night and yesterday between Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Pasquale J. Damuro, the assistant director in charge of the New York field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to Mr. Kelly's chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne.
Mr. Browne said the meetings were held to discuss the latest reports of a terrorist threat against the city, but declined to comment on the source of the new information. "The information is considered credible," said another law enforcement official, who insisted on anonymity. The official said the police and federal terrorism authorities, who have received similar threats before, were unusually concerned about the new information.
Tom Ridge, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security was scheduled to be in New York City today, and the law enforcement official said he expected Mr. Ridge to comment on the new information this afternoon.
But federal officials have been tight-lipped about the purpose of Mr. Ridge's trip, and would not say whether it was cionnected to any heightened terror concerns.
The new information was first reported last night by ABC News, which said it had learned from several law-enforcement agencies that an overseas source, which the network did not name, had provided information about suicide attacks being planned by Al Qaeda in the city. The ABC report said intelligence sources had described a plan by Al Qaeda to move non-Arab terrorists across the Mexican border into the United States.
A federal counterterrorism official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said last night that federal law enforcement agents briefed the Joint Terrorism Task Force on Friday after a woman of Pakistani origin arrived at the Mexican border carrying a suspicious passport. The official said the woman was also carrying a plane ticket from Texas to New York and several thousand dollars in cash. But she had admitted to no criminal intent.
But another federal law enforcement official said the woman was believed to have been on a terrorist watch list. He said she might have been sent as "a courier" to pass along either a message or documentation to someone in the United States.
A law enforcement official in New York said, "the concern was that she may be part of a team" planning attacks in the city.
The Police Department warnings, which were distributed in a news release to reporters last evening, said, "Intelligence reporting indicates that Al Qaeda continues to target for attack commercial and financial institutions, as well as international organizations, inside the United States."
Although the release did not say that new information indicated the city was more vulnerable than others across the United States, a law enforcement official, who insisted on anonymity, said last night that "it would be right to assume that there is particular concern" about large buildings and institutions in Manhattan. He said the United Nations was considered a potential target, as were large banks, financial institutions and company headquarters.
David Johnston contributed reporting from Washington, D.C., for this article.
Does this mean they will put the concrete barricades back up around the NYSE again? I thought removing them was just asking for trouble.
They make this sound like it's something that will happen in the future. WRONG!! Go here and read some of the articles posted on FR about ME folks sneaking across the US/Mexican border.
I never knew they had them up. Has the UN put up any barriers?
I hate the NYTimes so much, that I won't read the article. What does it say?
This is a very real threat. I am amazed at how Al Qaeda's earlier attempts along these lines are not even being mentioned by the media.
Bin Laden British cell planned gas attack on EU Parliament
Sept. 16, 2001
ISLAMIC terrorists based in Britain and controlled by Osama bin Laden planned a devastating attack in February on the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.
A six-strong terror cell funded by the Saudi fugitive planned to kill all 625 Euro-MPs, and scores of officials, by releasing sarin gas into the parliament building.
The attack was scheduled to take place during the session of parliament from February 11 to 14 this year and was to be the first in a series of assaults against prominent buildings across Europe. Algerian terrorists based in London and funded directly by bin Laden worked with counterparts in Milan and Frankfurt.
The plot was foiled after German police smashed the Frankfurt operation in a series of raids. The British-based six men were arrested and charged with offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Tom Ridge is in NYC to hand his resume into Time Warner security.
http://www.bugmenot.com/
this is blocked by the NYTIMES, but might work on other places.
Does Old America even care? They don't seem to, even after 911. I could be wrong. Show me.
It was a good idea, but it didn't work for either the LATimes, or Washington Post either.
I think the New York Stock Exchange is a logical target (if you can call the terrorists logical). The WTC was a symbol of capitalism and so is the NYSE.
username = scriptkiddie
pw = scriptkiddie
Let's hope not. I know that is bad but I couldn't resist.
It wouldn't be too terrible to make Wall St./Exchange St. an entirely pedestrian area... I know there were lots of people wanting to do that well before 9/11, for livability purposes.
Have those terrorists caught in the EU parliament been released yet?? Its about the length of a prison sentence for terrorism in the Eu right?? =o)
Uh.... not to rain on anyone's 'paranoia' parade, but professionally speaking this would not be an effective way for a terrorist to commit 'mass murder'. In English; it won't work. There's a gazillion technical reasons I could go into, but I don't feel like running a HVAC class now.
('Ventilation' is my name. Designing ductwork is my game.)
(I don't have blood, I have galvanized in my veins)
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