47.8 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Heightened Security Throughout NYC for Rosh Hashanah

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be on high alert, with strengthened security at airports, trains and terminals, as well as police in New York City and the greater metropolitan area.
Governor Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver spoke at a press conference on importance of the increased security throughout the city.

Surveillance has been increased by New York City police around Wall Street, Times Square, subways and rail stations before the start of Rosh Hashanah, as terrorists from the Islamic State made threats of attacks.

The deployment of police augmented by National Guard troops in camouflage at the Port Authority Bus Terminal are just a part of the most noticeable signs of the heightened security. Governor Cuomo said the increased security will be visible, with hundreds of additional personnel assigned, and it will cost the state tens of millions of dollars in the short term.

A Long Island Republican and co-leader of the state Senate said, “The issue of money is really irrelevant.” He said there’s no question there are groups that want to hurt and kill people in New York.

Manhattan Democrat, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, “New Yorkers know this great international city is a top target for terrorists. The 9/11 attacks taught up painful lessons of the need for vigilance.”

Deputy Police Commissioner Stephen Davis said that while there was no evidence of a specific threat, the NYPD had a duty to respond to concerns growing from warnings by the Islamic State, on social media.

“We have to address not only the actual threats but the perceived threats, and the inordinate amount of attention to the perceived threat of terrorism has required us to do our part to offset public concerns,” Davis said in an interview on September 20.

In a security briefing on September 19 Police Commissioner William Bratton told Jewish leaders, that on September 25 and 26 for Rosh Hashanah, officers and tactical squads will be deployed at synagogues. The state of heightened alert will remain in place during the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly through the end of the month. These types of similar measures have been in effect since the terror attacks of September 11.

After the meeting, Bratton told reporters, “One of the reasons why those 56 million tourists keep coming here despite all the chatter is that the city is safe and we are confident that we can continue to keep it safe.” He said there was “no direct actionable intelligence” indicating an attack was likely in Times Square or anywhere in the city.

At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which has its own police force to guard its midtown bus terminal, PATH trans-Hudson rail lines, bridges and tunnels, spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said the agency “remains vigilant,” without discussing details.

1,000 of the NYPD’s 35,000 uniformed officers are dedicated to counter-terrorism, and each has received yearly training in detection, deterrence and response to a catastrophic terrorist attack ever since nearly 3,000 perished in the 9-11 assault on the World Trade Center.

“Though we know of no credible information that ISIL is planning to attack the homeland at present; we know that ISIL is prepared to kill innocent Americans they encounter because they are Americans — in a public and depraved manner,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security.

On September 15, Johnson met with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Mayor Bill de Blasio for a rare joint gathering, which was followed by a news conference where the officials promised to pool resources and share information in order to protect the region against a terrorist attack.

At the meeting, which occurred less than a week after President Barack Obama said the U.S. would begin air strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Cuomo said, “the risk of a threat to us has increased.”

De Blasio described the city as a prime target of Islamic terrorists, who attacked the World Trade Center twice, in 1993 and 2001, and have attempted at least a dozen thwarted acts of terrorism since 2002, according to authorities.

On the 13th anniversary of September 11th de Blasio said he marked the day to think “about the people we’ve lost, but also to think about our obligation to keep their families safe going forward.”

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -