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N.Y. boosts subway security over possible terror threat

NEW YORK - Authorities stepped up security Thursday after receiving what city officials called a credible threat that the New York subway could be the target of a terrorist attack in coming days. But Homeland Security officials in Washington downplayed the threat, saying it was of "doubtful credibility."

Despite the differing takes on the seriousness of the threat, New York officials mobilized police officers to begin looking through commuters' bags, briefcases, baby strollers and luggage.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the threat originated overseas, and was the most specific terrorist threat New York officials had received to date.

No one in New York has been arrested or detained, he said.

"We have never had before a specific threat to our subway system," Bloomberg said at a news conference.

"Its importance was enhanced above the normal level by the detail that was available to us from intelligence sources."

He said he planned to take the subway home Thursday night.

In Washington, Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke said the agency received a "specific but doubtful threat" to the New York subway system.

"The intelligence community has concluded this information to be of doubtful credibility," he said. "We shared this information early on with state and local authorities in New York."

Knocke refused to elaborate on why the intelligence was considered doubtful, nor would he comment on whether it was linked to an arrest Wednesday in Iraq reported by CNN. Knocke said he assumed New York's public warning was made "out of an abundance of caution."

Federal law enforcement officials have not been able to corroborate any of the facts of the plot and do not think anyone had the ability to carry it out, government officials said.

Some commuters took the threat in stride.

Paul Radtke, 45, of Hoboken, N.J., said he has heard similar warnings before and found it hard to take them all seriously.

"Unless it's something dramatic that's happening, I've got to go to work," Radtke said after getting off a subway train at Penn Station.

He said the only travel habit he is changing is trying not to make eye contact with police officers so they won't search his bag.

An estimated 4.5-million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations. In July, the city began random subway searches following the London train bombings.

New York has been on high alert - or code orange - on the nation's terror threat advisory system since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. There are no plans to raise its alert level in wake of the threat, Knocke said, nor are authorities considering changing the nationwide elevated threat level, or code yellow.

Bloomberg said there was no indication the threat was linked to this month's Jewish holidays.

[Last modified October 7, 2005, 01:51:07]