"Significant, credible terror threat" for this weekend

[gloraelin]

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. officials said Thursday they were investigating a credible but unconfirmed threat that al-Qaida was planning to use a car bomb to target bridges or tunnels in New York City or Washington to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the first tip of an "active plot" around that date.The Homeland Security

Comments

[gloraelin]

Strange, that didn't show when I tried to add it. Thank you!

[brewsternorth]

Also, I think Rep. Peter King, R, is being an asshole, considering the panic his party has generated over the years about this very sort of thing.

He has always been one, and I think most New Yorkers on the street would tell you as much.

[kangofu]

My cousins have been so would up about the anniversary, they not only left home for the month but they vacated the northeast. Like anyone really was going to bomb their little middle of nowhere house in the first place. My aunt however is flying home to NYC on 9/12. Those must've been some cheap tickets....

I was debating going into Manhattan to study with friends this weekend, but I think I'll just stay home. I have a feeling there will be lots of traffic, especially with the Pres flying around (and boy, he's doing a lot of air travel that day)....

Also, are we at:
"Jesus Christ!!"
"God Damnit!!"
or
"FUCK ME!!1!"

[brewsternorth]

Yeah, it's not just the traffic. (Though I imagine Gridlock Sam of the NYDN is going to be rushed off his tweeting fingers giving people a heads-up as to which bits of the city are locked down because the POTUS is about.) There are checkpoints at Times Sq, apparently bag-checkers are about in bigger numbers at the subway stations, and there are already large numbers of NYPD on patrol at Park Place. Oddly enough, there didn't seem to be that more than usual outside Park51 aka the falsely-named "Ground Zero Mosque".

[kangofu]

Why am I not surprised that Gridlock Sam tweets? XD

I was walking through Times Sq yest and really didn't think there was a lot of security. Especially with that Fashion Night Out and free(?) booze.

Oh Lawd, that "Mosque." I think it's more likely some Islamophobe will blow it up than anything else.

[brewsternorth]

I think they've stepped up the vehicle checkpoints at Times Sq this morning.

Agreed about Park51. I hope it doesn't come to pass; that place is already being used as a community resource for Muslim prayer/teaching.

[apis_cerana]

I still intend on attending the lantern floating ceremony off pier 40...I'm sure things will be OK.

[browneyedguuurl]

I don't think that if terrorists attack it will be NYC or DC, and not by planes either. It's just a hunch.

[brewsternorth]

IDK, I think NYC and DC are still highly attractive targets.

The tactics will have to be different, though; not because the security's been amped up, but because ordinary members of the public are now wise to the 9/11 hijackers' methods. It wasn't a sky marshal who restrained Richard Reid the would-be shoe-bomber; it was his fellow-passengers including a medico who had a sedative in his carry-on.

[kangofu]

Agreed. I think those train plans would be much more feasible, especially in NY.

[thepuddingcook]

exactly, ditto the underwear bomber. And it was vendors who alerted police to the smoking car in Times Square.