Sudden Increase In Anti-Terror Activity?

On Wed. I left my office at 34th st (by Macy's and the Empire State Building) for 2 hours. I returned and as I walked up out of the herald square station (subway for non-ny'ers) I was greeted with cop cars, unmarked police and official vehicles, command station trucks, bomb squad and hazmat trucks and just about every other anti-terror vehicle you can name. they were all parked on the sidewalk with the nose of the cars facing into the street and they all had their lights on. It was impressive and frightening. I walked up to a guy standing in front of the command center and asked what was going on (I did this because people were not being cleared off the streets and the cops were all milling about without any intent or purpose). He said it was a routine drill that they do every day all over the city. I said thanks and moved along.

I started thinking. Let's see, I live in NYC. Have my whole life. I work near major targets. I live near major targets. I've never seen anything like this before. A few summers ago there was a specific threat to the citicorp building. It's 4 blocks from my apartment. It was under 24 hour guard. Hercules or Atlas crew with fingers on machine gun triggers at all times. You couldn't even talk to them. All business.

And this guy says they do this all the time.

So now, I see it again yesterday. A different block. Another highly trafficked area. Interesting I think. I go 5 years and never see this much of a muscle flexing and now I see it twice in two days.

This morning, on my way to work, I pass the same damned thing. This time they are taking up a block and a half. Beginning in front of Central Synagogue (thank god pre-k is out for the summer ) and heading south for a block and a half.

three days.
three anti-terror "drills" meant to be a deterrant of some sort.

I snapped some digitals with my cell phone but the images sucked thanks to my cab moving. I'm thinking of carrying a small digital with me from now on.

Just thought I'd let y'all know that things are strange here lately

interesting.

Well there were alot of reports in the US media about the FBI et co being on alert for Hezbollah sleeper cells.

And of course this may be in response to a statement from Hezbollah of Iran, saying that they were ready to strike US/Israeli/Western targets. And that all they needed was the 'green light' for the supreme leader

those comments about the Iranian Hizbollah said they had 2000 people sign up for training. It said they were trained and ready but it also implied that they were still in Iran and were ready to be put in place, once the green light was given. Sounds more like the usual Iranian chest puffing b.s.

I figure it's a gearing up for the possibility that we are going to wind up involved in some kind of action in Iran once they reject the Western demands for a halt to their nuke program.

Just found it all kind of ominous and very public. Normally they don't put on this much of a show.

Originally posted by Crakeur
those comments about the Iranian Hizbollah said they had 2000 people sign up for training. It said they were trained and ready but it also implied that they were still in Iran and were ready to be put in place, once the green light was given. Sounds more like the usual Iranian chest puffing b.s.

Agreed it is just huffing and puffing. Earlier this year they claimed they had 40,000 Suicide Bombers ready. only now they are saying 2000. Huh??? what happened to the other 38,000 did they defect

[edit on 7/21/2006 by shots]

the 2000 number comes from some recent sign up that the initiated in the spring (I think). maybe the 2000 is in addition to the 400,000.

the 400,000 was scary but I gotta tell you, 402,000? I'm duct taping the doors and windows now.

I read an article in some magazine the other week that certain agencies were conducting 'alertness ready' excersizes all over NYC. Basicly a black unmarked van would pull up to a building and procede like it was a real situation. Heavily armed individuals would jump out and act out the possible threat. I think it was USA Today or something. I don't know, but I think that would scare the hell out of me instead of making me feel safer (as the article states was one of the reasons for it).

That is 40,000 not 400,000 as you stated. If you would have noted the date it was only in april, so I doubt this is a new recruitment effort. It is just more BS to imply they have 2000 which obviously has to be a lie now or it was a lie back in April

[edit on 7/21/2006 by shots]

Originally posted by shots
what happened to the other 38,000 did they defect

[edit on 7/21/2006 by shots]

Their indoctrination was no match for McDonalds and internet porn. Life suddenly became a little too precious.

Originally posted by shots
That is 40,000 not 400,000 as you stated. If you would have noted the date it was only in april, so I doubt this is a new recruitment effort. It is just more BS to imply they have 2000 which obviously has to be a lie now or it was a lie back in April

[edit on 7/21/2006 by shots]

my bad. either way, the additional 2k is way more scarier.

jonna, I've been fortunate enough to walk into this three times and it does give a bit of an uneasy feeling but since the cops and other anti-terror forces are all just standing at posts and there are pedestrians and cars passing thru the "zone" it is not as frightening as one would expect. I did come out of the subway one afternoon and run into the real deal. cops and hazmats and whatnot running all over the place, helicopters over head. people running and freaking out. turns out it was a bank robbery and the paint explosive popped on the street and the ensuing pink missed resulted in a bio/chem terror scare. good times.

Originally posted by Crakeur
my bad. either way, the additional 2k is way more scarier.

Look at it this way. Which would you rather have an army of 40,000 (as orignally claimed) or the now army of 2,000?

Also logic says they would say they have recruited an additional 2000 which would have raised the total to 42,000 would have sounded much scarer, but that was not the case. Also there is no way they are going to admit 38,000 or 40,000 defected on them.

42,000, 402,000 2,0000
I ain't scared. It seems to me that all the posturing and pontificating that comes out of Iran is nothing more than that. A bit of Baghdad Bob style of media. We have lots of men, ready to fight. In NYC. In Iran. Deplored...no, wait, deployed last week. Yeah, that's it. There's coming to take you away ha ha.

Post the pictures when you can. I think that security upticks, especially around jewish centers, is to be expected considering the israeli-hezbollah war. Jewish centers will also be targeted by general anti-semites at this time too, let alone any terror cells.

I saw that article as well - they really looked like the heavy mob all armed up and nasty...ill go dig the link for you and post piccies of it all - M-4's and Goggles the order of the day!

www.popularmechanics.com...


here you go -its the way they are trying to keep you all afraid of the big bad wolf so as to crush your spirits and accept the fact that at any time, any where men with black vans and guns will come...and theres nothing you can do but feel fear..........

Originally posted by GSA
its the way they are trying to keep you all afraid of the big bad wolf so as to crush your spirits and accept the fact that at any time, any where men with black vans and guns will come...and theres nothing you can do but feel fear..........

Not me. All I think is "get some". Maybe is scares someone if they are planning to rob a bank or blow something up, but to me it says that the bad guys don't own that street, that day.

Besides, its much safer on the public for them to do dry runs, and get it ironed out now, than to do it for real with no practice. If you were a hostage, wouldn't you rather someone come get you that has practiced in that building before and knows the layout, knows where to go?

Apparently there's sufficient concern for Hezbollah "sleeper cells" within the States, and specifically NYC.

www.axcessnews.com...

Now, while it may be nothing more than a furtherance of status-quo "fearmongering", the situations you mention, Crakeur, would seem "drills" for response to any potential incidence of such. ?

On the other hand, perhaps it's nothing more than a public display of "attention".
... a reminder. ?


$.02




[edit on 7/21/2006 by 12m8keall2c]