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'New York still at risk of Al Qaeda's attack'

August 01, 2011 13:27 IST

The New York City continues to be at the risk of a terror attack even after the killing of Al Qaeda's longtime chief Osama bin Laden, the city police chief has said.

"The elimination of Laden was an important milestone, but not a game-changer. We're still very much at risk," New York City Police Chief Ray Kelly told the ABC news in an interview on Sunday.

"We're concerned, as we get closer to the 9/11/11 memorial, because we know Osama bin Laden spoke about that date twice in the last two-year period," he said.

He was apparently referring to the information obtained from the materials seized from the Abbottabad residence of bin Laden, in which the al-Qaeda leader was reportedly planning to have a major terrorist attack on New York City on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

"The federal government, local and state authorities are very much aware of the threat and are on alert," he said. Kelly said the New York City Police Department has a task force in its intelligence division that looks at white supremacist/anti-government groups and individuals.

"In fact, just a few days before the Norway massacre, we had a teleconference with our century partners -- this is 100 law enforcement agencies in the northeast quadrant of the country -- and that was the specific subject. We talked about certain groups and individuals that we're concerned about," he said.

Lalit K Jha in Washington
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