New York Increases Subway Security After Notice of Threat

NEW YORK -- Authorities stepped up security on the city's mass transit system Thursday after receiving a credible threat that the New York City subway may be the target of a terrorist attack in the coming days.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared at a news conference alongside Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly in which they announced the threat, which they said originated overseas. Bloomberg said it was the most specific threat New York officials had received to date; no one in New York has been arrested, he said.

A law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the threat is "specific to place, time and method," and that the method is bombing.

"We have done and will continue to do everything we can to protect this city," Bloomberg said, adding that he planned to take the subway home Thursday night. "We will spare no resource, we will spare no expense. We have increased our police presence on our subways."

Kelly asked the public to report suspicious people or activities. Police planned to start looking through bags, brief cases, baby strollers and luggage as they launched a large-scale search of New York's mass transit system.

"We have never had before a specific threat to our subway system," Bloomberg said. "Its importance was enhanced above the normal level by the detail that was available to us from intelligence sources."

New York's security level remained at orange, the same level it has stayed at since Sept. 11.

An estimated 4.5 million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations.

Source: NY Times

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