Cities across the globe, including New York and Brussels, are heightening security in preparation for potential terrorism attacks on New Year’s Eve.
In New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., police will be deployed in force near planned events that will attract large crowds. The President was briefed about a potential terrorism attack in one of those cities, but sources told CNN that the threat was not specific and came from only one source.
New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton says he will deploy 6,000 officers around Times Square, where around one million people turn out each year to witness the ball drop. “We are not aware of any threat at this time that we deem credible,” Bratton said at a press conference Tuesday. Nonetheless, the city plans to screen every reveler with a magnetometer, and cops will be equipped with chemical, radiation and explosive detection devices.
In some cities abroad, the threat of terrorism has been even more severe. Both the Belgian and Turkish governments claim to have foiled terrorist plots that were targeting Brussels and Ankara on Thursday night. Brussels has cancelled all New Year’s festivities, including the city’s fireworks. According to some reports, Moscow will close its Red Square on New Year’s Eve to stymie a terrorist attack, and Vienna, the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, Paris, and London are all stepping up police patrols.