“No specific and credible threats” against NYC ahead of 9/11 anniversary, but security will be tight

Officials said Friday that there are “no specific and credible threats” against New York City ahead of the 20th anniversary on the 9/11 attacks and its ceremonies around the five boroughs.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas joined Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner Dermott Shea, and a host of other officials outside NYPD headquarters in Manhattan to outline preparations for the day.

“We will do everything possible to protect New Yorkers, and that’s really the most important message of the day,” Shea said. “It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been 20 years from that day.”

The group’s media briefing followed a meeting at 1 Police Plaza where they went over the plans for the weekend.

Mayorkas said that over the two decades since the attacks, the threats facing the nation had evolved. The government’s concerns went from foreign terrorists infiltrating the country, to Americans radicalized by outside extremists, to home-grown terrorists radicalized online.

New York City is a significant beneficiary of a special grant program for targeted urban areas that he Department of Homeland Security (DHS) administers through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“We work together to ensure that we are watching the flow of information very carefully — not just domestically but around the world,” Mayorkas said.

In addition to ceremonies honoring the victims of 9/11, Shea pointed out a host of other events going on around the city this weekend that the department is working to protect, including the Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees in Queens and the U.S. Open right next door.

He didn’t go into specifics regarding the city’s counterterrorism efforts, but told the media that “thousands” of uniformed and civilian members of the NYPD and other agencies are working to keep people safe.

Their work includes bomb detection, and the deployment of officers with rifles. Shea also called on the public to remain vigilant against any threats.

“This is a shared responsibility, and we’ve said that 100 times,” he said. “We need anyone who has any information or sees something out of the ordinary — you’re right it probably is nothing (but) call us and let the experts verify that.”

Additionally, the NYPD shared a list of street closures related to the 9/11 ceremonies. None were listed for Staten Island.

9/11 CEREMONY
Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021
Manhattan:
· Areas bound by Barclay Street on the North Rector Street on the South Broadway on the East West Street on the West (All Inclusive)

· Liberty Street between West Street and South End Avenue
· Albany Street between West Street and South End Avenue

· West Thames Street between West Street and South End Avenue
· South End Avenue between Liberty Street and West Thames Street
· Battery Place between West Thames Street and 3rd Place
· 3rd Place between Battery Place and Little West Street
· Little West Street between 3rd Place and Battery Place
FDNY 9/11 MEMORIAL
Manhattan:
· Riverside Drive between 96th Street and 110th Street
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 MASS AT ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL
Manhattan:
· Areas bounded by 54th Street on the North 48th Street on the South 6th Avenue on the West and Madison Avenue on the East (All Inclusive)
For the anniversary, Hochul also announced Friday that flags on all state buildings would be flown at half-staff and that 13 landmarks around New York would be lit blue to honor the lives lost as a result of the attacks.

“Twenty years ago, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the horrific and unprecedented acts of terror against our state and our nation on September 11, 2001,” Hochul said.

“We remember the victims and the brave first responders who lost their lives in the most unfathomable way, and we honor the survivors and victim’s families who were tragically impacted by the attack.” (silive.com)