Investigating the Terror Threat Emails

The FBI and NYPD are investigating the possibility that someone sent out emails related to the NYC Subway terror threat before the announcements were made by Mayor Bloomberg in a 5PM news conference last Friday. I first noted the email message last Friday, which I picked up from GOP and the City. At that time, I said that it smacked of an urban legend/hoax because it contained just enough information to be credible, but nothing too specific.

E-mails from two Internet accounts — which law-enforcement sources say belong to dance-theater director Nicholas Seligson-Ross and Upper West Sider Tony Micocci — were sent out early last week, warning pals not to use the subways in the near future because of the threat.

It was only later that week, on Oct. 6, that Mayor Bloomberg publicly announced the threat of bombs being set off in the subway.

Days before that announcement, law-enforcement sources said, Micocci e-mailed friends saying a longtime pal — whom he identified as the Coast Guard's chief intelligence officer — "called with a very specific caution to not enter or use the New York City subway system from October 7 through the 10th . . . based on information he has received of potential terrorist activity."

That's not the troubling part; this is:

Law-enforcement sources said the NYPD is troubled by the e-mails because they suggest that DHS downplayed the threat after its own officials had privately told people to stay away from the subways.

At least one of the e-mails was sent out on Oct. 3, and the NYPD learned of it the next day, a police source said.

Gov. Pataki called the e-mails "disturbing," and added that "it's just not right" that a handful of private citizens would have been told about threats before the general public.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly called the e-mails "inappropriate."

UPDATE:
GOP and the City is leaning towards a Snopes worthy hoax that Ross and Micocci perpetrated to get attention that happened to coincide with the real alert going out. That was my first impression last week when it became known. GOP's The Man thinks that this will have negative effects on Freddy Ferrer and the NY Daily News, but I don't think that's the most likely outcome - there isn't much that make things worse for Freddy and the Daily News isn't quite in NY Times territory yet.

Technorati: NYC, terror threat, subway, hoax, urban legend.