America was attacked on 9/11/01. 10 years later there are tips that another attack could occur in New York.
/ File Photo
NEW YORK -- Update: September 9th
Michigan State Police are asking residents to be "vigilant" in light of the U.S. Departmetn of Homeland Security's (DHS) reference to potential terrorist threats this weekend.
"At this point, there is no known threat to Michigan, but given the potential for terrorist activity around the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, it is more important than ever for citizens to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity or behavior to law enforcement," the MSP stated in a written release. "Homeland security is a shared responsibility, and the public plays an important role in helping to keep our communities safe and secure. Citizens are reminded to be on the lookout for the seven signs of terrorism: surveillance, elicitation, tests of security, acquiring supplies, suspicious persons out of place, dry run/trial run and deploying assets."
If you see any suspicious activity, you are asked to call 9-1-1 or the Michigan Hotline at 1-855-MICH-TIP (855-642-4847). You can also submit tips to the Michigan Tips Website.
If a terrorist attack were to take place, the DHS would inform the public on their alert website.
NBC News reports U.S. officials have received information concerning possible terror attacks leading up to the 9/11 anniversary.
The threats are considered "credible" but have not been confirmed.
With the new terror threat pointing to this 9-11 weekend, police are stepping up patrols. The unconfirmed, but somewhat specific intelligence comes from the tribal area of Pakistan. The tip is that three men are trying to travel to the United States to carry out car bombings in either New York or Washington D.C.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg states, "we know that terrorists view the anniversary as an opportunity to strike again. Now the threat at this moment has not been corroborated- I want to stress that. It is credible, but it has not been corroborated." Homeland security officials called it "credible but unconfirmed threat information."
One official calls the threat information limited in specificity - that the three men - if they even exist - are unidentified and whereabouts are unknown and that the information comes from sources of unknown credibility.
In addition to general information about a possible car bomb plot between September 10th and September 12th, one source briefed on the investigation says a separate intelligence stream points to an unspecified threat to bridges and tunnels.
FBI New York Director Jan Fedarcyk states, "in the hours and days ahead, consume our resources to make sure that we fully understand the threat and take every step, if in fact it become corroborated, to mitigate it."
Before he was killed, Osama Bin Laden had communicated how he wanted to see an attack around this 10th anniversary weekend. That is in part why officials are taking this new threat report seriously, even if it is unconfirmed.
The New York Police Department says it will be increasing patrols by a third and will do more spot checks on the trains. Commissioner Ray Kelly says, "these proportions are on top of an already robust counterterrorism overlay in place for the tenth anniversary."
Story Author: NBC’s Jonathan Dienst
