New York City authorities were taking extra counterterrorism precautions Friday in response to what they said was an unsubstantiated radiological threat to the city.
Police, fire and emergency management teams have been deployed around the New York City on Friday night in response to unverified online threats about a truck packed with radioactive material.
Police are deploying extra radiological sensors on street, water and air patrols. They're stopping vehicles at checkpoints in lower Manhattan and around the city.
An NYPD statement released Friday night says: "While the threat remains unverified, our counterterrorism posture, which is reconfigured daily based on intelligence from around the world, has been modified to include increased deployment of radiological sensors, including vehicle, marine and helicopter-mounted, as well as those carried by NYPD personnel. In addition, vehicle checkpoints are being established in New York City, including Lower Manhattan, and at certain approaches to the City from neighboring jurisdictions."
Deputy Police Commissioner Paul J. Browne called the measures " strictly precautionary." He said the online posts were made following a video released Sunday that featured an American member of al-Qaida threatening foreign diplomats and embassies across the Islamic world.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the police measures were nothing out of the ordinary.
"These actions are like those that the NYPD takes every day -- precautions against potential but unconfirmed threats that may never materialize," he said in a statement.
"Over the last five years, the NYPD has dedicated more than 1, 000 members of their ranks to counter-terrorism work. These NYPD personnel perform actions every day - some that are seen by the general public and some that are not - that have kept us all safe from terror attacks," the mayor said.
Source: Xinhua
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