New York terror scare

2005-10-07 07:37

New York - New York City's subway system received a specific threat that it might be attacked within days, Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced, as police launched more intense searches of baggage, brief cases, baby strollers and luggage.

But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat on Thursday, saying it was of "doubtful credibility."

The threat involved the possibility terrorists would pack a baby stroller with explosives, among other potential subway bombing methods, a law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

New York officials responded by mobilising police officers to begin looking through commuters' strollers, bags, brief cases, and luggage.

Al-Qaeda arrests

"This is the first time we have had a threat with this level of specificity," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a nationally televised news conference alongside Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, adding that he still felt secure enough to take the subway home Thursday night.

But in Washington, Homeland Security Department spokesperson Russ Knocke said "the intelligence community has concluded this information to be of doubtful credibility. We shared this information early on with state and local authorities in New York." Knocke did not elaborate.

A counterterror official, who was briefed about the threat by Homeland Security authorities, said the intelligence was considered doubtful because it did not reflect "on-the-ground, detailed" information. Rather, the official, who also insisted on anonymity, said the intelligence was similar to "what can be found on the internet and a map of New York City."

The law enforcement official in New York said that city officials had known about the threat at least since Monday, but held the information until two or three al-Qaeda operatives were arrested in Iraq within the past 24 hours. Once the arrests were made, officials felt they could go public, the official said.

Authorities are concerned, the official said, that there might be al-Qaeda operatives in New York City connected to the plot. They have no hard evidence of that, but are investigating.

The United States military spokesperson's office in Baghdad had no information on the operatives' arrests. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he had seen no indication of a US military operation to round up al-Qaeda suspects.

The law enforcement official said the threat was "specific to place," and that the window for the attack was anywhere from Friday through at least the weekend.

Bloomberg called it the most specific terror threat New York officials had received to date. No one in the city has been arrested or detained, he said.

"We have done and will continue to do everything we can to protect this city," he said. "We will spare no resource, we will spare no expense."

New York City has been on high alert - or code orange - on the nation's terror threat advisory system since the September 11 2001, terror attacks.

- AP