Alert (Illustration)
Photo: AFP
NYPD sees threat in Israel-Iran tensions
New York Police Department prepares contingencies concerning Big Apple's Jewish sites fearing escalating tensions between Israel, Iran may result in violence
The New York Police Department has prepared plans to beef up security at the city's synagogues and other Jewish sites amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, officials confirmed Friday.
Concerns that Muslim extremist groups might retaliate against civilians in the city's Jewish community if Israel were to attack Iran's nuclear facilities prompted the NYPD to put together a response plan that includes deploying extra officers, including heavily armed Hercules Teams, to synagogues, Jewish community centers and Israeli diplomatic offices.
Warning
Month before Passover, Counter Terrorism Bureau issues updated travel advisories, with emphasis on existing warning against attempts to kidnap Israelis throughout the world
"Just in case there was some kind of retaliation in New York, we had an operational plan that was implemented within hours of knowing he was hit," Mitch Silber, a top NYPD intelligence analyst, said Friday at a briefing about security measures for the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Counterterrorism as a mission
There have been no specific threats reported against the city for the weeklong holiday, which starts at sundown Wednesday. But officials say the NYPD, since sharpening its focus on anti-terrorism after the 9/11 attacks, has kept a constant eye on militant groups like Hezbollah for signs they might attack the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
More than seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, "we know that counterterrorism is now a permanent part of our mission," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at the briefing.
Both US and Israeli military commanders have said in recent weeks that Iran, accused of being a sponsor of Hezbollah, is nearing nuclear capability.
Israeli officials have long identified a nuclear-armed Iran as the most serious threat to the Jewish state. While not directly threatening to take out Iran's nuclear facilities, Israel has refused to rule out a military option.
The tension has prompted the NYPD to "prepare for any retaliation that might happen within the region but more specifically in the West, and more specifically New York City," Silber said.
