US on alert as 9/11 terror threat against New York 'credible'

The extra police forces were deployed after officials briefed President Barack Obama of the situation and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg disclosed that the terror threat to the city is "credible but not corroborated".

"The President directed the counter-terrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information," a White House official said.

The threat was received by the US intelligence agency on Wednesday and the officials have put a look out notice for three people, who entered the country last month by air traveling from Afghanistan via a third country.

Counter-terrorism officials were assessing the report and media reports said that authorities were contemplating raising the threat level in New York and Washington.
The agencies are also pursuing the leads overseas in an effort to unravel the plot, a statement by a spokesman for the department of Homeland Security said.

Further, a nationwide hunt has been launched for at least two missing rental trucks that remain untraceable from locations in Kansas City, Missouri, officials said.

The scare came days ahead of anniversary ceremonies for the 9/11 attacks when President Obama and his predecessor George W Bush are due in the city, along with large crowds.

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked planes hit New York's World Trade Centre, turning the iconic twin towers to rubble, a third plane plowed into the Pentagon and the fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

Mayor Bloomberg said the police department was deploying additional resources to keep residents safe ahead of the 10th anniversary of September 11 attacks on Sunday.

In a statement, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state law enforcement agencies were in contact with federal and local agencies.

"All New Yorkers should be cautious and aware as we prepare to commemorate the 9/11 anniversary. However, there is no reason to panic or allow our spirit of freedom to be dampened as we get ready to celebrate the opening of the Ground Zero site this weekend."

Janice Fedarcyk, assistant director in-charge of the New York FBI said: "it is accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information. As we always do before important dates like the 9/11 anniversary, we 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 which are under way".

Outlining the measures taken by the police department following the threat information, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said more dog squads and police vehicles will be on patrol, increased bombs sweeps of parking garages and other locations would be undertaken.

Illegally parked cars would be also be increasingly towed.

"We are taking additional precautions" like increasing bag inspections on subways and there will be heightened focus on tunnels, bridges, landmark locations, houses of worship and government buildings.

The police department will deploy quick reaction team comprising heavily armed emergency services officers and reserve of detectives trained in heavy weapons.

In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler said the threat was "specific, credible, but unconfirmed."

The New York Police Department, FBI and the intelligence community has been on "heightened alert" as the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches "because we know that the terrorists view the anniversary as an opportunity to strike again," Bloomberg said.

He said the "threat (of an attack) at this moment has not been corroborated. I want to stress that it is credible but it has not been corroborated. But we live in a world where we must take these threats seriously and we certainly will."

Bloomberg said the ceremonies planned for 9/11 will "go on over the weekend exactly as they were planned."

Police officials said the National Guard will be staged at key train stations such as the Grand Central, Penn Station and Times Square. Officers will work 12-hour shifts, instead of 8-hour shifts and vehicle checkpoints will be installed. Police cars will be equipped with cameras that scan passing license plates.

According to documents seized at Osama bin Laden's Abbotabad compound in May, the al-Qaeda leader had speculated about mounting an attack on the 10th anniversary of September 11 or on another symbolic date.