The NYPD is probing an alleged bomb threat as it prepares to increase security presence at “critical” locations around the city ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, the United Nations General Assembly and the upcoming Jewish high holidays.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch noted that while threats “typically increase” around the jam-packed weeks bookended by the 9/11 anniversary, UN General Assembly and Jewish High holidays, the department will be taking extra precautions this year.
Specifically, the top cop said the NYPD will be monitoring threats to the Big Apple’s “critical infrastructure,” including bridges and tunnels linking Queens and Manhattan.
The connectors between the two boroughs were highlighted as a loosely planned target for a “group” of unidentified criminals, sources told The Post.
A vague threat that popped up on the NYPD and FBI’s radar indicated passages between Manhattan and Queens were marked as possible intended targets for unspecified terror attacks in New York, the sources said.
The would-be attackers may have ties to Iran, they added, but there were no specifics about the timing or methods of the threats.
An NYPD spokesman added that they were all “unspecified, uncorroborated threats” — but enough to raise eyebrows among the top executives.
“As always, we take all threats seriously, and we are working with our federal partners through our Joint Terrorism Task Force, as we investigate. Out of an abundance of caution, we are surging resources, and you can expect to see an increased police presence at critical infrastructure locations,” Tisch said.
The security hike comes after a summer of scares in the Big Apple.
In July, a gunman opened fire inside a Park Avenue office tower that housed the NFL headquarters and other companies, killing four people in the city’s single deadliest shooting in the last 25 years.
The gunman, Shane Tamura, stormed into the building, wielding an assault rifle in an attempt to target NFL executives he blamed for his mental health issues, reportedly spurred by injuries sustained playing high school football.
Instead, he accidentally wound up on the floor that houses Rudin Management. There, he shot and killed a young Cornell graduate before turning the gun on himself.
Just last month, Times Square was shut down after a suspicious package was left near the NYPD’s small location in the heart of Manhattan.
The suspect, who was on probation, was taken into custody and underwent a psych evaluation.
New York City’s ICE field office building was also forced to evacuate last month after five envelopes containing white powder were discovered in a mail room. The powder was later determined to be boric acid.
Read the full article here
