New York, September 10: New York faced the latest report of a possible terror threat with police officers searching cars and trucks on the street and backpacks and briefcases in the subways and officials keeping a closer eye on the city’s bridges and tunnels.
The stepped-up security came as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that al-Qaeda was behind what officials had described as a possible car-bomb attack timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Reuters said that Clinton, appearing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, had mentioned the “specific, credible but unconfirmed report that al-Qaeda again is seeking to harm Americans and in particular to target New York and Washington.”
Clinton said “unfortunately, some countries, even some friends,” continue to allow their territory to remain relatively permissive operating environments for terrorist financiers and facilitators. She added that funding madrassas that preach violence will only accelerate growth of extremism.
New York Mayor Michael R Bloomberg termed the threat as being “serious”.
One law enforcement official said the initial intelligence report described how at least three suspects, one of them a US citizen, had left Afghanistan and entered this country by air last month.
Another official said US intelligence agencies were urgently pursuing leads overseas in an effort to gauge the seriousness of the threat. According to NBC News the threat relates to car or truck bombs, while another news report said the information originated in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
US President Barack Obama, who was briefed on the threat, directed counter terrorism community to redouble their efforts.
Reuters quoted a US official as saying there is reason to believe the threat may be linked to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who became the head of al-Qaeda after the death of Osama bin Laden in May.
–Agencies–