New York will be in a state of heightened alert over the 9/11 anniversary weekend following what has been described as “credible but unconfirmed” information that a terrorist attack is being planned in the city or in Washington.
Only sketchy details have been released as to the nature of the threat and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg emphasised in a late-night press conference that the intelligence of the danger was uncorroborated.
But with global attention focused on New York ahead of the 10th anniversary of the attacks, nobody is taking any chances.
“We know the terrorists regard the anniversary as an opportunity to strike again . . . we must take these threats seriously,” said the mayor.
Warnings of a plot to launch a vehicle bomb attack in New York or Washington, believed to be in the form of a single piece of intelligence, were first received on Wednesday night.
ABC news said intelligence agencies received information that three people had entered the US with the intention of launching a “vehicle-borne” attack.
In a report on its website, ABC said officials believed the suspected attackers began their journey in Afghanistan, and may have passed through Iran.
Janice Fedarcyk, assistant director of the FBI in New York, said intelligence obtained during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden at Abbottabad in Pakistan in May had shown that al-Qaeda had an interest in important dates and anniversaries such as 9/11.
She said she expected more intelligence to come in over the next few days, but stressed that “sometimes this reporting is credible and warrants intense focus, other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to relate to real plots that are underway”.
Despite the lack of certainty on the nature or the seriousness of the latest threat, New Yorkers are likely to notice a dramatic beefing up of security at least until Monday. Ray Kelly, the city’s police chief, said he has ordered increased bag checks on the subway, a 30 per cent increase in police patrols and rapid response teams, added deployment of officers specialising in detecting nuclear radiation and extra sweeps at religious and government buildings.
Exercises also took place involving several security agencies at Grand Central, Penn station and Times Square yesterday.
The city is used to the inconveniences and stresses that frequent scares of this sort have brought over the past decade. Mr Bloomberg said that the police department was also well prepared, having helped to thwart at least 12 possible attacks since 9/11.
He urged people to be vigilant. “The best thing we can do to fight terror is to refuse to be intimidated by it...we will continue to do so.”
Separately, US vice pPresident Joe Biden and former presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush are today helping dedicate a memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Flight 93 crashed on September 11th.
Forty passengers and crew died on board the aircraft, which plummeted to earth during an onboard struggle to thwart hijackers who had seized the plane.
A temporary memorial has stood for a decade at the site in southwestern Pennsylvania, and nearly 1.5 million people have visited.
The two-hour ceremony, to begin at 12:30 p.m./1630 GMT will include remarks, musical tributes and the laying of wreaths.
Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan will perform.
Other dignitaries scheduled to attend include Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, vice president Biden's wife, Jill Biden, former first lady Laura Bush, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett, organisers said.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit the site tomorrow.
Flight 93 crashed at 10.03am on September 11th 2001. Organisers say $10 million still needs to be raised to complete construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial.
About $52 million has already been raised in public and private funds.
( Guardian service/Reuters)