USA: New York City is on heightened alert after officials made a public announcement of the threat of a subway attack

Record ID: 677331

  • Title: USA: New York City is on heightened alert after officials made a public announcement of the threat of a subway attack
  • Date: 7th October 2005
  • Summary: (W5) NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 06, 2005) (REUTERS) A SUBWAY ENTRANCE NEAR TIMES SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA2A6VXMZBSALHCHHVLIQXFYA4
  • Story Text: The specific threat of a terrorist attack on New York City was declared on Thursday (October 6, 2005) by FBI officials who indicated that the threat came from overseas but had already been partially thwarted.
    New York police chief Ray Kelly, appearing at the new conference called by the New York Police Department said that the intelligence available indicated that the attack could possibly occur in the coming days.
    He said, "The New York Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have received information which indicates that the city subway system may be the target of a terrorist attack in the coming days. While the information has not been fully corroborated, it has been deemed of sufficient concern for the police department to enhance its counter-terrorism coverage of the subway system and to advise the public of the threat and to ask its assistance in reporting immediately any suspicious individual or activities to police or transit personnel."
    Bloomberg told reporters that the FBI had notified him in recent days about a specific threat to the city's subway system but the public had not been told until now because law enforcement officials were trying to thwart it. Bloomberg tried reassuring New Yorkers. He said, "I wanted to ensure New Yorkers that we have done and will continue to do everything we can to protect this city. We will spare no resource, we will spare no expense."
    The city is stepping up surveillance of the system, the largest in the United States. New York has been on high alert for another attack since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
    Kelly indicated that police would be on alert for people with baby strollers, briefcases and backpacks and that people with such items should expect to be searched. City police began searches of passengers' backpacks and luggage on the transit system after July bombings on London's transit system, but those extra security precautions have been little in evidence in recent weeks. The more than century-old subway system carries 4.5 million riders a day and has about 470 stations. Officials emphasized that the threat had been already been partially disrupted by classified operations this week but said there had been no arrests yet.
    New Yorkers reacted to the news of the threat with a mix of apprehension and resignation. A New York student, Esha Bartholomew, who was about to board a subway train near Times Square said, "I am scared but right now, I go to go to school so it's like your best reaction is to just get where you are going, and just go home." Another New Yorker, Christopher Mango, who will be standing for state assembly elections from the 33rd district, said, "People in Israel still get on the trains, still get on the buses, there's no reason why we shouldn't do that here. There's nothing to be afraid of."
    Meanwhile, the New York Police Department (NYPD) is mobilizing its personnel at key points in the city, in an effort to confront the threat.
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