Dirty Bomb Threat - NYC Hikes Security

New York police stepped up security throughout Manhattan and at bridges and tunnels on Friday in response to an internet report that al Qaeda might be plotting to detonate a dirty bomb in the city:

Police confirmed the increased security was in response to receiving information that a dirty bomb may go off on Friday evening around 34th street in Manhattan -- a neighborhood with the Empire State Building, New York City's tallest building, Madison Square Garden and Macy's department store.

New York City police said in a statement the threat against the city was an "unverified radiological threat," stressed the increased security was precautionary and said the city's alert status for an attack was unchanged at "orange."

The increased security was in response to a report on the Jerusalem-based DEBKAfile. DEBKA reported that there has been a rush of electronic chatter on al Qaeda sites, one saying there would be an attack:

The al Qaeda communications accuse the Americans of the grave error of failing to take seriously the videotape released by the American al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gaddahn last week. “They will soon realize their mistake when American cities are hit by quality operations,” said one message.

Another said the attacks would be carried out “by means of trucks loaded with radio-active material against America’s biggest city and financial nerve center.”

A third message mentioned New York, Los Angeles and Miami as targets. It drew the answer: “The attack, with Allah’s help, will cause an economic meltdown, many dead, and a financial crisis on a scale that compels the United States to pull its military forces out of many parts of the world, including Iraq, for lack of any other way of cutting down costs.”

There is also a message which speaks obliquely of the approaching attacks easing the heavy pressure America exerts on countries like Japan, Cuba and Venezuela.

The New York Police Department has increased the deployment of radiological sensors on vehicles, boats and helicopters, and had set up vehicle checkpoints in lower Manhattan's financial district and at bridges and tunnels.

New York City has been preparing and drilling for a range of terror threats, including a dirty bomb, since the September 11 attack:

"New York City knows how to deal with a [dirty bomb] better than any other city in the country," says former Police Commissioner Howard Safir.

Two years ago Business Week published a cover story about the possible aftermath of a dirty bomb attack on New York City:

The initial blast kills only a few dozen people, but radiation is quickly dispersed by the prevailing winds. Minutes after the explosion, New York City Police officers arrive -- still unaware of the real nature of the blast. But when a radiation detector in one officer's car goes wild, it becomes clear that a dirty bomb has detonated in the financial center of America's biggest city.

Word of the explosion reverberates throughout New York. Many residents panic -- despite assurances from the mayor and police chief that contamination levels would exceed government limits only in about 40 city blocks. And by 3 p.m., half of Manhattan has tried to leave, clogging trains, highways, and bridges.

Six months later, the financial district remains largely off-limits, and the local economy is limping along amid a cratering of business confidence, the collapse of the tourism industry, and a property market in free fall. Economists put the eventual economic losses at an astronomical $1 trillion.

Can you say Jose Padilla?

UPDATE: The New York Post reports the NYPD mobilized hundreds of anti-terrorism cops last night in response to the "dirty bomb" threat targeting the city.

According to CNN, The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and New York Police Department insist the threat is unsubstantiated.

More at Captain's Quarters and Riehl world View.

UPDATE II: More coverage at One Jerusalem Blog and Atlas Shrugs.

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