Oh, the irony. Just days after Mayor de Blasio blasted our AFDI counter-jihad ads in New York subways as “outrageous, inflammatory and wrong” comes this new confirmation of how right we are: an Islamic State jihad plot to the New York City subways, announced by Iraq’s Prime Minister and involving jihadists from the U.S. De Blasio and Governor Cuomo are downplaying, but in reality the jihad threat to New York City is ongoing. People should not indeed live in fear, but they should be aware of the nature and magnitude of the threat — which de Blasio seems intent on obscuring.
“Bratton, De Blasio Reassure New Yorkers They’re Safe Following Alleged ISIS Subway Terror Plot,” CBS Local, September 25, 2014:
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Iraq’s prime minister said Thursday that captive Islamic State militants told his intelligence agents of an alleged plot to attack subways in the United States and Paris, France.
Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said he was told of the purported plot by officials in Baghdad, and that it was the work of foreign fighters who had joined the Islamic State group in Iraq, including French and U.S. nationals. Al-Abadi’s assertion has not be independently confirmed by U.S. government intelligence.
Asked if the attacks were imminent, he said, “I’m not sure.” Asked if the attacks had been thwarted, he said, “No, it has not been disrupted yet— this is a network.”
“Today, while I’m here I’m receiving accurate reports from Baghdad that there were arrests of a few elements and there were networks from inside Iraq to have attacks — on metros of Paris and U.S.,” al-Abadi said, speaking in English. “They are not Iraqis. Some of them are French, some of them are Americans. But they are in Iraq.”
Al-Abadi said the United States had been alerted. He declined to give the location in the U.S. where such an attack might occur.
He made the remarks at a meeting with journalists on the sidelines of a gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.
A senior Obama administration official told The Associated Press no one in the U.S. government is aware of such a plot, adding that the claim was never brought up in meetings with Iraqi officials this week in New York. President Barack Obama met with al-Abadi Wednesday.
The administration official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office released a statement saying that “the city takes any threat seriously.”
At a news conference outside the Union Square subway station Thursday afternoon, de Blasio worked to calm the nerves of New Yorkers after news of the alleged plot, saying city officials have found no specific threat.
“We are convinced that New Yorkers are safe,” he said. “We are convinced that people should go about our normal routine. Terrorists want us to live in fear. We refuse to live in fear.”
The mayor also stressed the importance of the subway system’s “see something, say something” motto.
“The people of this city have an important role to play,” de Blasio said. “The phrase, ‘when you see something, say something’ is not an empty phrase. It is real.”
Joining de Blasio at the news conference, police Commissioner Bill Bratton echoed the mayor’s statements.
“At this time, the people of this city should feel very comfortable and secure moving through the subways,” he said.
Bratton said New Yorkers would see stepped-up security across the city and in all subway stations as a precaution.
While many subway riders are anxious, not all of them are concerned.
“I’m a little leery getting on the subway, but it’s a way of life here,” one subway rider told CBS 2’s Andrea Grymes….
“We are aware of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s statements and are in contact with our law enforcement and intelligence community partners as we assess the validity of this threat,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos said in a statement. “The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with the New York City Police Department, remain committed to protecting this city.”
The NYPD released a statement saying, “We are aware of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s statements and we are in close contact with the FBI and other federal partners as we assess this particular threat stream. New York City normally operates at a heightened level of security and we adjust that posture daily based on our evaluation of information as we receive it.”
“We’re going to have to grill down and get as much information as possible, of course,” former NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly told 1010 WINS. “We’ve had plots against the subways in New York, and thankfully they haven’t come to fruition. But it’s something that we can’t totally discount.”
Kelly told 1010 WINS the way the information of the alleged plot came out is unusual.
“I think this report took the intelligence community by surprise, and they’re scrambling now to see if there’s anything to it, how credible it is,” he said. “This was not an item that had previously been discussed or on their agenda, certainly not in a recent path.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York is acting with the “utmost precaution.”
“There is no specific credible information about any specific threat to the NYC subway system. The NYC subway system is safe to ride,” Gov. Cuomo said, trying to calm nerves as he rode the E train with the MTA chairman Thursday.
“Our administration has been coordinating at a high level with local, state and federal partners. I want to assure the people of New York that we are monitoring these reports closely and are in close communication with officials in Washington,” Cuomo stated. “Public safety is paramount, and we are doing everything necessary to protect New Yorkers.”…