Friday, October 07, 2005

Bloomberg skips debate, announces dubious subway terror threat


New York police search a commuter's suitcase at the Union Square subway station in New York. (AP Photo/John Marshall Mantel)

Am I the only one who sees more than a coincidence between these two events?
(1) Bloomberg is criticized for missing Harlem debate on Thursday evening; and
(2) on Thursday Bloomberg holds TV newsconference to announce "dubious" terrorist threat in subways. Which, by the way, the Bloomberg administration knew about several days ago, when they asked NBC news not to report it. (A "law enforcement official in New York said that city officials had known about the threat at least since Monday")
Isn't this all just too coincidental?

According to a NYT article (Oct. 2):
Fernando Ferrer went on the offensive yesterday, blasting Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for his decision to skip a debate scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

The Ferrer campaign pursued a two-pronged strategy, with the candidate's allies in the black community casting Mr. Bloomberg's move as a slight to black voters, and Mr. Ferrer saying the mayor's decision showed he was afraid to defend his record.

The attacks appeared aimed at driving a wedge between Mr. Bloomberg and black voters, who are critical to the prospects of both candidates in the Nov. 8 election.


NEW YORK (AP) - 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 called it the most specific terrorist threat officials had received to date. No one in New York had been arrested or detained, he said during a nationally televised news conference alongside Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
'We have never had before a specific threat to our subway system,' Bloomberg said, adding that he still felt secure enough to take the subway home Thursday night.
'Its importance was enhanced above the normal level by the detail that was available to us from intelligence sources.'


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