NYPD: No reported terror threat for US Open

JAKE PEARSON
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A top NYPD counterterror official said Wednesday there are no reported terror threats for the upcoming US Open tennis tournament despite its being named as a potential target by an al-Qaeda group.

Speaking at a counterterror briefing for both civilian and law enforcement officials, Director of Intelligence Analysis Rebecca Weiner said the Queens venue was suggested as a target in the most recent edition of Inspire, the English-language online publication of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

She said the magazine detailed how to build a car bomb and suggested it be targeted at large gatherings of people, rather than buildings, and listed other locations in New York, Washington and Virginia.

“We will ensure that the suggestions in this magazine remain hypothetical,” Weiner said.

Also Wednesday, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis gave a detailed presentation on the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing attacks that killed three people and injured more than 260 others.

Davis said the lessons he took away from the attack and the ensuing investigation were to stay vigilant, prepare, and partner with other agencies. Using social media, especially Twitter, was a key to correcting misinformation distributed by the media in the days following the attack as authorities worked to identify and then locate the suspects, he said.

“Trying to get the proper message out among the people who are coming from all over the world to report on this incident cannot be done unless you have your own ability with social media to correct bad information and get valid information out there,” he said.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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