New York mayor defends terror decision

Mayor Michael Bloomberg today defended his decision to go public with the threat that terrorists might want to strike the New York subway system, saying it is essential that authorities “err on the side of protecting the public” in the city of 8 million people.

“If I’m going to make a mistake you can rest assured it is on the side of being cautious,” Bloomberg said at a news conference, flanked by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

But Bloomberg stressed that he did not think that any mistake had been made.

“I feel safe in the city, I feel safe on the trains,” he added.

“We did exactly the right thing,” Kelly said.

The authorities briefly closed part of Penn Station and commuters headed to work under the watchful eyes of police.

Officials in New York revealed the reported threat yesterday, saying an FBI source warned that terrorists had plotted to bomb the subway in coming days.

But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it’s of “doubtful credibility.” Bloomberg called it the most specific terrorist threat that New York officials had received to date, and promised to flood the subway system with uniformed and undercover officers.