FBI warns of possible N.Y. plot

Federal authorities warned Wednesday that recent intelligence indicates that Al Qaeda may be plotting a terrorist attack on the subway or on other transit systems in New York City during the holidays.

U.S. officials stressed that the information, gathered by the FBI, had not been corroborated and said there was no indication that the suspected plot had progressed beyond preliminary discussion among operatives linked to Al Qaeda.

The warning comes at a time when New York subways and other public transportation systems are jammed with holiday travelers -- a scenario that counter-terrorism officials have long considered an attractive target for Al Qaeda.

A classified intelligence bulletin describing the suspected plot was issued Tuesday by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and disseminated among state and local law enforcement agencies, including the New York Police Department, according to U.S. counter-terrorism officials.

The bulletin said the FBI had “received a plausible but unsubstantiated report indicating that Al Qaeda terrorists in late September may have discussed targeting transit systems in and around New York City,” according to a senior U.S. counter-terrorism official, citing language from the document but speaking about it on condition of anonymity.

The bulletin went on to say that the discussions “reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway/passenger rail systems.”

U.S. officials declined to elaborate on the source of the intelligence except to say that it was collected by the FBI, which focuses most of its intelligence-gathering efforts inside the U.S. but also has a significant presence overseas.

Justice Department and U.S. counter-terrorism officials said that no arrests had been made in connection with the plot and that there was no indication that potential participants had entered the U.S.

FBI spokesman Bill Carter said the report was issued “as a routine matter” so that local law enforcement officials could make plans for the holiday season.

The FBI and other federal agencies were heavily criticized in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks for failing to share intelligence with local authorities.

The bulletin issued Tuesday was part of a system put in place to push more raw intelligence to local agencies. Last week, a similar warning on threats to the ferry system in Seattle was issued, officials said.

The government’s color-coded threat advisory system remained at yellow (elevated), and officials said there was no plan to raise the threat level.

“This is at the talk stage,” said the U.S. counter-terrorism official, who added that U.S. intelligence agencies monitoring Al Qaeda communications channels and networks search for any indication that a plot is moving forward.

“When you start seeing the gathering of materials and travel and placement of people, that’s when things are really far along,” the official said. “This certainly isn’t anywhere near that in terms of maturity.”

Even so, the New York Police Department was expected to respond with stepped-up patrols and a more visible presence on trains traveling in and out of the city. A statement issued by the Justice Department said that travelers in New York and other large cities “may see an increased security presence in the coming days.”

The patrols are expected to include uniformed and plain-clothed officers as well as air marshals, dog teams and security inspectors.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne stressed that reports of a plot were unsubstantiated and said additional police officers were being deployed “out of an abundance of caution.”

“It is not uncommon for the department to receive threat information and to adjust our resources accordingly,” Browne said.

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greg.miller@latimes.com

Chicago Tribune staff writer Stevenson Swanson in New York contributed to this report.