9/11 Anniversary Terror Plot Being Investigated

U.S. officials said Thursday they had uncovered information on a “specific, credible but unconfirmed” plot to target the U.S. homeland around the time of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

The threat, discovered by overseas intelligence sources, would target New York City or Washington, D.C. — and involves car bombs, sources told FOX News Channel. It is believed to have been picked up in monitoring of “chatter” from the tribal areas of Pakistan.

A White House official said President Barack Obama was briefed on the specific threat information Thursday morning and was updated on it throughout the day, a statement obtained by FOX said.

“The United States government has already significantly enhanced its security posture in advance of the 9/11 anniversary to protect the country against possible terrorist threats,” the officials said. “Nevertheless, the President directed the counterterrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information.”

New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the NYPD is taking additional steps in light of the new intelligence.

He said officers will be held for an additional four hours at the end of their tours of duty, effectively increasing the NYPD’s patrol, transit, counterterrorism, highway, and traffic presence by a third.

The NYPD will be increasing the number of bomb-sniffing dogs, officers with radiation-detection equipment, patrols and checkpoints of infrastructure, bag checks in subways, and more, Kelly said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said New Yorkers should not be afraid to live their lives but should exercise vigilance.

“If you see something, say something,” Bloomberg said. “Over the next few days we should all keep our eyes open.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement late Thursday saying that state law enforcement officials 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,” Cuomo said. “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.”

Authorities have obtained what they believe is information on possible suspects tied to al Qaeda, but they have not necessarily determined names of possible suspects.

A statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security late Thursday confirmed the looming, possible threat.

“As we know from the intelligence gathered from the OBL [Usama bin Laden] raid, AQ [al Qaeda] has shown an interest in important dates and anniversaries, such as 9/11,” it read. “In this instance, it’s accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information.”

The statement went on to say that reports of possible terrorist activity tended to increase before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11.

“Sometimes this reporting is credible and warrants intense focus, other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to be reflective of real plots underway,” the statement said.

“Regardless, we take all threat reporting seriously, and we have taken, and will continue to take all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise. We continue to ask the American people to remain vigilant as we head into the weekend.”

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security were drafting a bulletin Thursday night to send to local law enforcement across the country.

U.S. officials have been saying for days there is no known credible threat related to the anniversary. But when asked Thursday by reporters whether that was still the case, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano seemed to hesitate.

“It is still the case that we don’t have something that would reach that standard, but we still have lots of chatter out there,” she said.

Documents found inside bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the wake of his death mentioned aspirations to strike the U.S. on the tenth anniversary of the 2001 attacks.

This area is widgetised! To make use of this area, put some widgets in the 'Main Sidebar' section.

• Trending Now

  anaheim arrest arrested burglary california children chp crime death drugs dui fbi gang gang violence gunman hollywood homicide investigation irvine jail killed lapd las vegas law enforcement lawsuit los angeles los angeles news los angeles police murder northern california orange county police police officer shooting protest rape robbery san bernardino san diego security guard shooting shot southern california suicide violence violent crime