New York City subway stations and airports are receiving heightened security through the deployment of National Guard troops and state police, per an order by New York Governor after a Andrew Cuomo. This follows the dumpster explosion in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood Saturday that destroyed property and injured 29 people.
During a press conference held Sunday, Cuomo urged citizens to go about their lives as normally as possible. “Life goes on in New York,” he said after touring the damage caused by the explosion. “We are going to enjoy New York and go back to work tomorrow just like we do every morning.” The governor is sending the additional reserve troops and NYS officers to busy transit terminals to augment the already reinforced security of NYC’s arteries.
Although Mayor Bill de Blasio was hesitant to classify the “intentional” detonation as an act of terrorism, Cuomo characterized the event as precisely that. “A bomb going off generically is a terrorist activity,” he said, regardless of whether the explosion is associated with an organized network. “That is how we will prosecute it.”
A second volatile device was uncovered just a few blocks from the blast. The suspected device was forged from a pressure cooker and cell phone and, according to Cuomo, was “similar in design” to the first device. He warns it’s premature, however, to presume a link between the two explosives until the FBI completes its investigation. The increase in security occurs just days before the arrival of international diplomats for this week’s United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan.
(Via CBS News)