AG Holder: NYC Terror Plot "Very Serious"

(CBS)  In New York Tuesday, security was noticeably tight as world leaders gathered at the United Nations and the investigation continued into what officials believe was a plot to attack the city.

America's top law enforcement officer believes that threat was very serious, as CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports.

As police and FBI worked to unravel a possible terror plot, CBS News has learned that the hunt is on to see if terrorists have stored a cache of explosives somewhere in New York City. In an exclusive interview with "60 Minutes", Attorney General Eric Holder told correspondent Steve Kroft just how urgent the threat was.

"I think we've disrupted that which they've planned and it's not totally clear to us at this point what it is they had in mind, though I think it is clear that something very serious and something very organized was under way," Holder said.

In searching for answers, investigators hit more apartments and storage facilities in the borough of Queens, part a still-expanding probe to identify those connected with the prime suspect in the case, Najibullah Zazi, the 24-year-old Afghan native now in jail in Colorado.

In New York, the NYPD's "Hercules Teams" - heavily-armed squads - were making their presence known on city streets as more than 150 world leaders poured into the city for the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday.

"Our operating premise is that the city is the top of the terrorist target list," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. "That there are always those people that want to come here and hurt us."

While no specific terrorist plot has been identified, the Department of Homeland has been issuing bulletins to transit systems, hotels and sports stadiums over the past few days, urging them to raise their awareness and readiness.

"I think you're going to see a general heightening of security in a variety of areas," Holder said.

There were no new arrests Tuesday in the terror probe, but sources tell CBS News that up to a dozen people continue to be closely monitored by the FBI.

[storiccow]

' .. george washington marched upon the world with two armys, one was well flowered by the little kids and old folk and sick and injured folk and their get well feed world first aid on the trail free lunch and such trail crossing and street cornet sick bed partys and fiestas and such, the other was funded by taxpayers .. obviously the tax payet army did not go hungry and bored .. but it was the other what conquered the world .. '

[storiccow]

' .. my daughters never forced me to have sex, nor my sons neither, and i was lucky, they were not into drugs in the backward fashion, they were into turning on and off their internal drugs, not eating the external ones .. '


' .. forever doesn't really last forever, it's just a giant wishing machine that lasts as long as you like .. and usually the wishes don't come draped in unfavorable other sordid circumstance .. '


' .. if plants could grow themselfs and each other, we wouldn't need compost .. '


' .. if this were'nt your endless story book and instead were mine: there would be alot less middle age gun and bomb women to bless and keep and save and liberate every little boy .. '


' .. your grandparents are all very well behaved, commented the teacher .. don't ask what they made me do to them to pay them off, replied the little hermaph .. '


' .. many many handfuls of dirt, each handful a handful of plants and animals both microscopic and endlessly big .. with a shopping cart of so many handfuls of drifting dirts, with a lunch bowl of so many handfuls of drifting dirts .. with so many handfuls of dirts and all the handfuls of blooms they recycle, it's difficult to go hungry, but most find a way when and where they choose .. '

[ffoulkes-2009]

And trust me, I am NO Obama apologist.

[drnh]

I love the comments! Great way to start a Wednesday morning. I am wondering why some of you who argue about the severity of the plot and "imaginary enemies" are forgetting that (if by chance this was a "real" event) the FBI does not disclose investigative information. They won't/can't tell the public everything...

[ffoulkes-2009]

I agree...same argument I had when Bush's administration was putting out these warnings...People gripe about them, but if something happened and the public WASN'T warned, that would be the end of that politician's career (if it hadn't already ended...heh)

[gooserooster]

If there had been "something very serious underway" we'd have been blasted with every minute detail.

The fact that they can't come up with even 1 sorted detail, association, verifiable piece of evidence, or even a charge of "material support", which includes donating to the Red Cross...that means that there is NOTHING UNDERWAY at all This has been staged for the benefit of the G20. It makes for good sound bites, that's all.

CNN can advertise segments about "Terror Suspects Detained, Serious Plot disrupted", or "TERROR PLOT FOILED" or "Multi-State Terror Cell Rolled UP, G20 Threatened".

I see the people who actually buy into this charade...the poster who said..basically..."you'd be sorry if something happened, what should they do..just let suspicious people remain free until they do something"...

I guess the right thing to do is detain everyone before someone does something dangerous.

Think about what the government is engaged in here. Witch Hunts. Destroying innocent people's lives.

This has got to stop. No more imaginary enemies. (or False Flag operations)

[ffoulkes-2009]

Guys...It is every bit as likely this was a real threat as it was when Bush was in office...

You decide what that might mean.

[bradkt1]

Did any of you ever think that the feds know more...a lot more...than what they have said publicly so far? That's usually the case. The partisan political comments have no place in this and only show how clueless those posters truly are. As a former fed, I can tell you that these are professions trying to do their jobs and they could care less about the politics. They are just trying to save lives by preventing a terrorist attack from happening.

Given what we know that the feds found about the sites that were cased, they probably have a pretty good idea of the potential targets.

It sounds to me like they are trying to find out if these people already have...or have already made...one or more bombs.

This whole thing sounds like it was timed to go down during this United Nations session when all of these world leaders would be present.

I'm sure that there is going to be more...a lot more...to come. Like the previous poster said, we don't know the full story.

[KPeters_from_UK]

by jgg00009 September 22, 2009 8:03 PM EDT
Hey Holder! Maybe if the CIA, the police and our troops didn't hate you for calling them liars, stupid and terrorists we'd be in better shape.

And to the other naysayers. I cannot find any mention in the article that the American police and the CIA were not prepared, mismanaged, or not in top shape. They do know what they are doing, they have more than dozens suspects under surveillance. This isn't Hollywwod where the loose ends are tied up neatly after some fab explosions. It takes time as one piece of evidence is added to another.

In the UK as the police monitored a group of terrorists. No one knew the full story, no one knew the actual objective ... all we knew was something about liquids in bottles and airplanes. The police stopped it only after months and months of surveillance.

So lets back off. We don't know the full story. We are only getting snippets.

[deinandra]

So investigators are supposed to know everything about a case in an instance - mind-readers? Or, are you suggesting that after coming across individuals who are highly suspicious just leaving them out there until all facts are known? That is dumb. Get the individuals into a place where they cannot do any harm, and then complete the investigation and find out what they were going to do.

[ffoulkes-2009]

How about just treating THIS close call like you treated all those close calls Bush's people sounded the alarms on...either that or admitting Bush just might have been right...

[cs4466]

"I think we've disrupted that which they've planned and it's not totally clear to us at this point what it is they had in mind, though I think it is clear that something very serious and something very organized was under way," Holder said.

Um. So they don't know what kind of attack it was going to be, when it would happen or any other details. But it is clear something very serious was under way.

Uh-huh.

[stuart-johns]

by stn_sage September 22, 2009 8:18 PM EDT


If the DOJ had said nothing and something happened you'd probably be the first one to scream that this administration failed to protect the public.

Yes. You would have loudly proclaimed that it would have been better had they erred on the side of caution.

It seems to me that you want it both ways.

[jgg00009]

actually, it's obama and holder who want it both ways. they want to complain about the unconstitutionality of the patriot act when it serves their purpose, and then take credit when it is effective.

[stn_sage]

stuart-johns:

Wrong, buddy! YOU are WAY out-of-line on your accusations!

First, YOU don't know me!

Second, don't presume to believe WHAT I think or what ACTIONS I would take!

Third, not only does COMMON SENSE dictate prudent use of authority in warning the public about possible terrorism situations, but PROCEDURE, requires it!

Fourth, look at the total lack of substance they are basing their announcements on, stuart! Look! Have you ever heard of Iraq? Or, WMD?!

So, I think it's MORE THAN FAIR that they have substantial FACTS on hand BEFORE THEY START A PANIC!

YOU are usually NOT so trusting of government---and with good reason!
THIS, is a poor time on your part to vary from what has been a 'winning philosophy' for you in the past! Especially, with scant to NO basis in FACT! I'm surprised at you, Stuart!

[stn_sage]

This is a FARCE! It's just ANOTHER act of terrorism being practiced by the government to keep the public in a state of FEAR! And, it's getting OLD!

At the very least, it's an attempt to have it BOTH WAYS!

The government instigates fear by making false allusions and claims of terrorism; but yet admit, because they know it's not true and they don't want to be sued in the aftermath, that there's no identifiable terrorist plot, no list of named terrorists, no cache of 'real' weapons or bombs attributable to any alleged terrorist group or any substantial evidence to indicate their claims ARE valid!

Guys, 'knock it off'! Stop trying to scare the c*r*a*p out of the public!

You should have better things to do with your time, so do them!

[ffoulkes-2009]

Wow...you sound like someone who thinks Bush is still in office...