NYC 'bomb threat' details leaked

New Yorkers went about their business under increased security yesterday, the date officials identified in a federal warning of a possible subway attack, as investigators looked for a possible plotter inside the United States.

Asked on Fox News Sunday whether a suspected plotter had made it into the country, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "That's certainly part of the investigation, yes."

Mr Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg differed with federal officials over the credibility of the threat, which was based on an uncorroborated claim to Iraqi authorities that prompted raids by US and Iraqi forces and resulted in two suspects being taken into custody in Iraq.

A third was being sought, and the New York Times reported that he had been detained, also in Iraq. The DHS/FBI bulletin noted that federal authorities "have doubts about the credibility of the threat" but passed it along "to provide increased awareness out of an abundance of caution".

Mr Bloomberg, however, said he had become increasingly convinced over the last few days that the threat was real, adding that increasing security was preferable to waiting for something to happen before acting. The mayor, who is facing re-election next month, continued over the weekend to urge New Yorkers and visitors to "go about our business".

Throughout the city, stepped up security measures that began on Thursday continued, with armed soldiers in fatigues patrolling transit hubs including Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and the Port Authority bus station. Uniformed police officers were well in evidence at even smaller subway stations in neighbourhoods outside Manhattan, occasionally stopping riders to check backpacks or other packages.

Police officials refused to comment or provide information on security measures, but said that reports of suspicious packages had more than doubled in the past few days, with more than 200 such calls since early Friday. No dangerous, threatening or hostile items have been found.

Ridership was running at about normal levels for a holiday weekend. Columbus Day, a federal holiday, is being celebrated today.

Mr Kelly said New York would remain in a heightened state of alert until US intelligence authorities in Iraq could pin down the credibility of the current threat.

"Operations are going on overseas that we believe will give us a better sense of the credibility of this threat in the short term. We'll be governed to a large extent as to what comes to use from the intelligence community overseas," the commissioner said. Operations were continuing outside the US to learn more about the suspected plot and people were being interrogated, he added.