An Abundance Of Caution

Police descended on the subway system yesterday evening in response to the most specific non-credible threat of terrorism to the city to date:

Security in and around New York City’s subways was sharply increased yesterday after city officials said they were notified by federal authorities in Washington of a terrorist threat that for the first time specifically named the city’s transit system.

The measures were announced by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, along with Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and the head of the New York F.B.I. office, Mark J. Mershon, after an American military operation with the C.I.A. and the F.B.I. in Iraq yesterday and Wednesday, according to law enforcement officials. The operation, the officials said, was aimed at disrupting the threat.

Some officials in Washington, in interviews last night, played down the nature of the threat. While not entirely dismissing it, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security described it as “specific yet noncredible,” adding that the intelligence community had concluded that the information was of “doubtful credibility.”

A perfect conspiratorial storm brewed as the Mayor held a press conference detailing the threats just hours before the contentious mayoral debate at which Hizzoner was a conspicuous no show:

Against the backdrop of reports of a new terrorist threat to New York City, the mayoral debate at the Apollo Theater in Harlem last night abounded in attacks on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and his decision not to participate, even as voters seemed sure to be focusing on his warnings about security.

Meanwhile, this emerged as news reports emerged that for several days a news outlet held a news report about the threat, deferring to authorities concerned about ongoing operations:

Mayor Bloomberg praised WNBC/Ch.4 reporter Jonathan Dienst – without naming him – at the start of a news conference during which authorities announced the threat.

“A news outlet was aware of this report two days ago, and they were asked to hold it for operational reasons,” Bloomberg said. “They did, and we are grateful for that.”

Dienst went live with the story at 5p.m. yesterday, about 30 minutes before the mayor’s news conference. But he said he had no guarantee the story would not break earlier somewhere else.

WABC/Ch. 7 reported on the threat at about the same time, but with fewer details.

“I’m happy because I think we did the right thing,” Dienst said last night. “It worked out for our viewers and law enforcement and we’re pleased all around.”

Law enforcement sources told the Daily News that on Monday a credible source informed the NYPD of the threat.

Is Al Qaeda primed and ready to attack the subways? Did the mayor pull a Bush by announcing a terrorist threat in order to push the mayoral debate off the front pages (open speculation on the radio shows this morning)? Were the police compelled to act when they did because of a news report about to break? Or none of the above?