Developing: NYPD Searching Vehicles In Response To Unverified Radiological Threat

Debka had reported yesterday that there was signals that al Qaeda may attempt to carry out radiological attacks against the US, particularly in New York City and Los Angeles.

he threat was picked up by DEBKAfile’s monitors from a rush of electronic chatter on al Qaeda sites Thursday, Aug. 8.

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.”

Debka isn't the most reliable source of information, and when it was first published yesterday, I suggested giving it 48 hours to see if the stories pan out.

Well, it would appear that the NYPD and New York law enforcement agencies came across some of the same signals, as they have begun searching vehicles at the Holland Tunnel, according to Fox5NY. NY1 is also reporting that law enforcement and emergency services are deployed in response to an unverified radiological threat.

This could be nothing more than an attempt to see what the US and law enforcement can and would do if such an attack was imminent, a hoax, or based on something more than just a threat. However, if there is actionable intel, moves to check vehicles and sensitive locations for possible threats is a prudent one.