The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it is sending extra resources to “sensitive” areas and warned Big Apple residents to take extra precautions as the terrorist threat surges. The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) has also raised the alarm and is closely monitoring potential dangers as the Middle East war intensifies.
An NYPD spokesperson said the new resources will include “high-visibility resources like the Critical Response Command and Counterterrorism officers, as well as our Intelligence Division personnel.” Law enforcement officers from federal and local agencies are working together to assess the risk, but the spokesperson sought to reassure New Yorkers that there is no current intelligence to suggest an imminent attack.
New York Mayor Eric Adams addressed the growing conflict during a rally supporting Israel. Mr. Adams said Hamas must be “disbanded and destroyed immediately” and told Israel’s residents, “Your fight is our fight.” Governor Kathy Hochul echoed Mr. Adams’s sentiments, saying, “New York and Israel always stand together.”
Clashes broke out across the country as supporters of both sides held demonstrations and marches. During a rally organized by the Democratic Socialists of America, crowds called on the US to end aid to Israel, saying the Jewish state is guilty of “apartheid and genocide.”
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, pro-Palestinian activists compared Israel supporters to the Nazis and called them “pigs.” The demonstration occurred near Harvard University, where student groups issued a joint statement saying Israel was “entirely responsible” for the war.
An Israeli woman in New York said the current climate is tough for Jews and brings back memories of the Holocaust. She argued that Hamas terrorists are not fighting for freedom and “this is not a legitimate resistance. These are people that want to kill. They’re out for blood. They want to kill all Jews.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas following its terror attack that killed more than 1,300 Israelis on October 7.
