By Patrick Hedlund and Tom Liddy
MANHATTAN — Officials are investigating a possible terror threat against New York City on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security acknowledged Thursday a "credible" threat to the city after terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda had "shown an interest in important dates and anniversaries, such as 9/11."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged New Yorkers to be vigilant but not to panic in light of the information.
"There is no reason for any of the rest of us to change anything in our routines," he said at a press conference late Thursday night, joined by NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly and Janice Fedarcyk, FBI assistant director in charge of the New York field office.
"I believe we are safe," the mayor added.
He stressed that the threat is credible but not corroborated, emphasizing the importance of taking added precautions for the anniversary.
"The terrorists haven't gone away," Bloomberg said.
Kelly said the NYPD would be tripling the size of its average force in advance of the anniversary, while extending tour hours for cops and the number of vehicles on patrol.
Security will also be heightened in the MTA's transit system, with additional bag inspections, Kelly said. The city's tunnels and bridges will be closely monitored, as well landmarks, government buildings and houses of worship, he noted.
The department will use more bomb-sniffing dogs and radiation monitoring equipment, as well as increasing bomb sweeps and the towing of illegally parked cars, Kelly explained.
He said the NYPD will work closely with the FBI and 30 other police agencies to respond to the situation.
"We don’t sit back and throw our hands up," Bloomberg added. "We aggressively ramp up our efforts."
The mayor urged the public to "exercise more vigilance" in the coming days and report any suspicious activity.
He also told New Yorkers to remain calm despite the news.
"I plan to take the subway tomorrow morning and plan to feel just as safe," Bloomberg said.
Intelligence sources in Pakistan told MSNBC said the threat, which also includes Washington, D.C., includes "limited" information on possible car bombs and attacks on bridges and tunnels.
The threats may extend to other major U.S. cities, the station reported.
"As we always do before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days," the Department of Homeland Security statement said. "Sometimes this reporting is credible and warrants intense focus, other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to be reflective of real plots underway.
"Regardless, we take all threat reporting seriously, and we have taken, and will continue to take all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise," he added. "We continue to ask the American people to remain vigilant as we head into the weekend.”
