NYC Preparing for 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks as Law Enforcement Deals With Credible Terror Threats To NYC and DC

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that murdered nearly 3,000 people in NYC, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA, law enforcement is seriously worried about al Qaeda and spinoff/inspired terrorists carrying out attacks against either the commemorations or other targets in the United States.

"We have received credible information very recently about a possible plot directed at the homeland that seems to be focused on New York and Washington, D.C.," a senior administration official told CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

The official said the plot was believed to involve three individuals, including a U.S. citizen, who may have entered the United States. U.S. officials believed the threat was a vehicle laden with explosives, but "the intelligence picture is not completely formed," the official said. "Not enough is known about the potential operatives and their plotting."

Another source gave CNN conflicting information about possible details of the threat.

A senior law enforcement official involved in briefings about the matter told CNN Justice Department Producer Terry Frieden that his best information is that the three individuals had not yet entered the United States.

It should come as no surprise that al Qaeda sought to carry out attacks on the eve of their most heinous accomplishment; that kind of information was among the trove of data recovered in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. They would love nothing more than to rub it in and carry out still more deadly attacks and doing so in New York City would be as high profile as it gets.

Presidents Obama and Bush will both be in New York City to commemorate the day and to dedicate the National 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero. The NYPD is already preparing for heightened security and a ring of steel and cameras is being butressed with all manner of visible and hidden measures to protect the dignitaries attending the ceremonies and to prevent terrorists from carrying out attacks.

These include concrete blocks placed across streets to restrict car traffic, sealed manhole covers and other steps that the NYPD have taken in past high visibility events.

Concrete blocks placed at Vesey and Broadway

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Even as the security situation is being firmed up and law enforcement and intel services are attempting to ascertain the nature and type of threats, efforts are being made to prepare the area around Ground Zero for the dedication, including hanging a flag on the new Fiterman Hall:

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The 9/11 memorial is undergoing its final preparations and the perimeter fencing is also being prepared for the upcoming opening.


Also, St. Paul's Chapel has been handing out white ribbons to leave notes tied to the wrought iron fence:

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