Security in New York City and Washington, D.C. was heightened this week after intelligence officials received "specific and credible" intelligence about a possible attack to coincide with the ten year anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The unconfirmed reports suggest three al Qaeda operatives, one of them possibly an American, plan to use car bombs. A senior official told CNN little else is known about the alleged plot.
Heightened security will include checkpoints across NYC and D.C., vehicle checks, increased bag checks at subway stations, and stolen vehicle checks using digital license plate readers. The NYPD said shifts will be increased so more officers will be patrolling over the weekend.
Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matthew Chandler released a statement saying steps are being taken to “mitigate any threats that arise” in the coming days.
"It's accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information. As we always do before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days. Sometimes this reporting is credible and warrants intense focus, other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to be reflective of real plots under way,” Chandler said. "Regardless, we take all threat reporting seriously, and we have taken, and will continue to take, all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise. We continue to ask the American people to remain vigilant as we head into the weekend.”
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