US police react to security alert

Police set up metal fences around the headquarters of a major bank in New Jersey, blocked off two streets, and armed themselves with assault rifles after authorities warned of a terrorist attack on financial institutions.

In New York, one of the major tunnels to commercial traffic headed into the city was closed, and trucks were banned from a bridge leading to lower Manhattan.

New Jersey Governor James McGreevey asked the public to report suspicious activity but added, “we can’t allow fear to dominate our lives”.

In a government warning, the Prudential Financial building in Newark was named as a target along with Citigroup headquarters and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, and the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank buildings in Washington.

“This is not chatter,” said Sid Caspersen, director of the New Jersey Office of Counterterrorism. “It was a long-term operations plan developed over months, perhaps years.”

Newark police Detective Todd McClendon declined to offer specifics on security measures planned for the Prudential building, which stands 24 storeys tall and is one of downtown Newark’s highest structures.

“We’ll just say that it is a significant increase of security,” he said. “We’ve taken the threat seriously like we’ve taken all threats.”

Employees at Citigroup, Prudential, the World Bank, the IMF and the New York Stock Exchange were expected to report to work as usual today, officials said.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said specially trained police teams would gather at the Citigroup building and elsewhere.

In Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Charles Ramsey said officers on overtime detail would increase patrols and the department will boost the number of checks of vehicles on city roads.

“We will be making increased traffic stops, truck stops and the like, around these particular facilities as well,” he said. “We have no plans at this time to totally shut down the area around the World Bank and IMF. But we will be greatly enhancing our presence along with the private security that’s already there.”

A cashier at a sports store in the Citigroup building, Trisha Brown, said she was frightened by the threat of terrorists. “It’s scary and kind of creepy that these people could just walk into the building,” she said.

New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said trucks would be banned starting today from the Williamsburg Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and lower Manhattan.

The Holland Tunnel, which runs from New Jersey into lower Manhattan, would be closed to all inbound commercial traffic beginning today, said Tony Ciavolella, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Kelly said police also were advising businesses to safeguard their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. He and other police officials briefed the security directors of 13 major financial institutions.

New York Governor George Pataki added: “Because these threats are so specific to one particular region of the state, we will …continue our heightened level of security at critical infrastructure and other vital sites across the state.”

The government’s warning came four weeks before the Republican National Convention, which will draw more than 30,000 people to midtown Manhattan, including top government officials and the president. Bloomberg said the Republican convention would go on as planned.

Police were stopping and searching trucks near Wall Street today. Ben Schlomo said his moving truck was stopped while police opened the back and looked inside. “It’s no big deal,” he said, “just a quick stop.”

In Chicago, officials said the city would add more police officers and surveillance cameras in the business district.