US Military Bases on Alert for 9/11 Anniversary

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday that it was raising force-protection levels for military installations in the United States ahead of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

“This is not in response to any specific or credible threat surrounding the 10th anniversary of 9/11,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters, according to a Pentagon press release, “but we believe it is prudent and precautionary to take such a step.”

It’s no secret that al-Qaida has focused on holidays and milestone events in the past, Little added, noting that the 10th anniversary of 9/11 was mentioned in documents seized at the Abbottabad compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was killed in May.

The Defense Department does not discuss specific force-protection levels, but the level will be raised at facilities throughout the United States, including the Pentagon itself.

"[The raised force protection level] is a reflection of al Qaida’s continued interest in milestone and anniversary events, and is prudent," Little said.

At a Politico event on Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke about security preparations for the anniversary.



“Many, many things have already been put in place not because there’s a specific, credible threat but we want Sunday to be a day of commemoration and remembrances and we want it to be safe,” she said. “Not just DHS — a lot of other agencies in the federal government state and local governments are really leaning forward to make sure we’re as safe and secure and we can be.”

The New York Police Department announced on Wednesday that it will be deploying thousands of extra police officers on Sunday, despite having no specific terrorist threat. From the Associated Press:

The NYPD plans to form a zone around the World Trade Center for a Sunday observance that President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush plan to attend. Along with extra officers – the department won't reveal an exact number – the security also will include hundreds of surveillance cameras trained on the site, Kelly said
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/110907/911-anniversary-pentagon

Thousandsof NYPD officers to secure Ground Zero for Anniversary

Associated Press
NEW YORK — There are no specific terror threats against New York City but the NYPD still plans a major show of force for 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday that police will form a frozen zone around the World Trade Center site. They'll flood it with thousands of extra officers for the Sunday observance there with President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush in attendance.

The beefed up security also will include hundreds of surveillance cameras trained on the site.

The commissioner said the department will deploy "quick strike reaction forces" to respond to potential threats outside lower Manhattan. The teams include officers in heavy armor, bomb squad technicians and hostage negotiators.

New Yorkers also will see extra subway patrols.

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP3798ef60be654ec188ae3aead0df894d.html

High Alert for Security on 9/11 Anniversary

(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - The federal government is escalating security around the country in preparation for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and conducting confidential briefings with state and local law enforcement organizations. But officials say there is no specific indication that a terror plot against the U.S. is under way.





Americans can expect more security at airports, mass transit stations, U.S. borders, government buildings and major athletic events over the next month, said an intelligence official who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive security matters.



The FBI and Homeland Security Department have been briefing state and local law enforcement agencies on potential terror threats to the U.S. and ways to increase security in their communities. The briefings are routine, and security has been enhanced for other major events in the past decade. But the significance of the 10-year anniversary of the worst terror attacks on U.S. soil is not lost on security officials, who fear that someone with terrorist sympathies might see 9/11 as an opportunity to make a statement.



It's been a long buildup as we approach the anniversary of 9/11," said Sean Duggan, assistant chief at the Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Department. Duggan said his department gets daily updates from the FBI and Homeland Security Department. But over the past two months, the focus has been on the 10th anniversary of the terror hijackings.





"We know this is a significant date," Duggan said. "Other than taking physical precautions, we have not been briefed on any specific threat other than the obvious — knowing what this date means in our history."





Events are planned around the country to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 attacks.





"While there is currently no specific or credible threat, appropriate and prudent security measures are ready to detect and prevent plots against the United States should they emerge," Homeland Security Department spokesman Matt Chandler said.



http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/08/31/national/main20099778.shtml

San Diego on Alert for 9/11 Anniversary

Reporting from San Diego -- With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaching, San Diego political and law enforcement officials launched a campaign Wednesday to warn residents to look for signs of terrorist planning.



"Al Qaeda and others have always had a fascination with significant dates in history," Keith Slotter, special agent in charge of the San Diego office of the FBI, told a news conference.



Public service announcements are scheduled for local television stations warning residents to be on the alert and to contact police if they see anything suspicious.



A locally produced six-minute video titled "The Eight Signs of Terrorism" is posted on a county government website: http://www.ReadySanDiego.org.



San Diego's proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border and the presence of numerous military bases require an extra level of vigilance, said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a former police chief.



The eight warning signs were compiled by the San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force and the federal Department of Homeland Security. The department has begun a national campaign, "If You See Something, Say Something."



Among the signs of possible terrorism: People appearing to watch potential targets to gain information and people impersonating law enforcement officers or letter carriers.



Other signs include people using cash for large purchases; people buying large quantities of products such as fertilizer, weapons or uniforms; and people appearing to rehearse an attack or moving equipment or supplies into position.



"When in doubt, call law enforcement," San Diego County Sheriff William Gore said. "We'll handle it.... We're not targeting any particular group, we're looking at suspicious activity regardless of who is doing it."



San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne recalled the police and firefighters who dashed into the second building of the Twin Towers when it was struck by a plane.



"Remember what happened on 9/11 and show that level of courage," he said.



Three of the hijackers who flew a plane into the Pentagon had lived in San Diego. Two of the three had taken flying lessons in San Diego.



In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, there was criticism about lack of coordination and sharing of information between federal and local law enforcement and U.S. intelligence agencies.



Without directly mentioning that criticism, officials at Wednesday's news conference said that coordination has improved.



"We've never been more prepared," Lansdowne said.



tony.perry@latimes.com



http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0825-terrorism-20110825,0,4826580.story

USS New York "Never Forget" to visit for 9/11 anniversayr

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A Navy ship built with steel from the World Trade Center will anchor off lower Manhattan for ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.



U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer announced Tuesday that the Navy has agreed to bring the USS New York to the state it was named after.



Schumer said the Navy's decision came after weeks of negotiations.



Schumer said in a letter to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus that it would be fitting for those who lost loved ones at the twin towers to be joined by the ship forged with steel from those towers.



The USS New York is an amphibious transport ship built with 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the trade center. The ship's motto is "Never Forget." It was commissioned in 2009.



—Copyright 2011 Associated Press

http://online.wsj.com/article/APd24ef5b9994c400f9be44c6da4be2319.html

CBS News 9/11 Anniversary Coverage

CBS News Schedules 6 Hours of Special Coverage on 9/11 AnniversaryBy Sunday, September 11, Scott Pelley will anchor CBS News coverage of the national memorial ceremonies for the 9/11 attacks from Ground Zero. “Face the Nation” will originate from Ground Zero immediately following the conclusion of scheduled events.



Both “The Early Show” and the “CBS Evening News” will also be live from Ground Zero beginning Friday, September 9. “60 Minutes” will also be entirely dedicated to 9/11 coverage on Sunday night at 7 pmET/PT, with a feature presentation of “9/11: Ten Years Later,” an updated version of the award-winning film CBS aired on the first and fifth anniversaries of the attacks, to follow.



Visit FishbowlNY, where New York TV and radio personalities reflect on 9/11/01 in our series “9/11: New York Remembers.”





CBS News Will Provide Extensive Coverage Beginning Sept. 9 - Sept. 11 On “The Early Show,” “CBS Evening News,” “Face The Nation,” “60 Minutes” and Across All Platforms Including: CBS Radio News, CBSNews.com, CBS Newspath and CBS News’ Polling and Survey Unit



On Sunday, Sept. 11, CBS Will Dedicate Six Hours of Coverage to Mark the Day, Highlighted by a CBS News Special, “9/11: America Remembers,” Anchored By Scott Pelley from Ground Zero, Beginning at 8:00 AM, ET (Check Local Listings)



CBS News announces division-wide coverage plans to mark 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. CBS News will provide extensive coverage beginning Sept. 9 – Sept. 11 on THE EARLY SHOW, CBS EVENING NEWS, FACE THE NATION, 60 MINUTES and across all platforms, including CBS Radio News, CBSNews.com, CBS Newspath and CBS News’ Polling and Survey Unit.



Beginning Friday, Sept. 9, CBS News’ THE EARLY SHOW and the CBS EVENING NEWS will broadcast live from Ground Zero in New York City.







On Sunday, Sept. 11, six hours will be devoted to the coverage, beginning with a CBS News special 9/11: AMERICA REMEMBERS, anchored by Scott Pelley (8:00 AM, ET check local listings). Immediately following the coverage of the scheduled events, a special edition of FACE THE NATION will broadcast live from Ground Zero.







In addition, 60 MINUTES (7:00-8:00 PM, ET) will devote the entire broadcast to 9/11 coverage, which will be followed by CBS Television Network and filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet and James Hanlon’s presentation of “9/11: 10 YEARS LATER,” an update of the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning film, “9/11,” to be broadcast on CBS as a special presentation, Sunday, Sept. 11 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT).







CBS News’ coverage will include personal stories from survivors and family members of some of the victims, as well as reports from CBS News correspondents at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa.



CBS News’ division-wide programming highlights, beginning Sept. 9, will include the following:



Friday, September 9



• THE EARLY SHOW (7:00-9:00 AM, ET) will provide extensive coverage live from Ground Zero.



• Scott Pelley will anchor the CBS EVENING NEWS (6:30-7:00 PM, ET) from that location.



Saturday, September 10





• THE EARLY SHOW ON SATURDAY (Check Local Listings) will broadcast live from Ground Zero.



• CBS EVENING NEWS will broadcast live from Ground Zero (6:30-7:00 PM, ET).







Sunday, September 11







• Scott Pelley will anchor a CBS News special, 9/11: AMERICA REMEMBERS, live from Ground Zero, beginning at 8:00 AM, ET.







• Immediately following the coverage of the scheduled events, a special edition of FACE THE NATION will broadcast live from Ground Zero.

• 60 MINUTES (7:00-8:00 PM, ET) will devote the entire broadcast to 9/11 coverage.







• The CBS Television Network and filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet and James Hanlon will present “9/11: 10 YEARS LATER,” an update of the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning film, “9/11,” to be broadcast on CBS as a special presentation (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT). For more on this special go to: http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=28857

• CBS Radio News will offer expanded programming and feature reports, including a five-part series, “Justice In a Time of Terror.” CBS Radio News will also present special short-form reports and long-form weekend roundup: “9/11: America Remembers,” as well as live anchored coverage of the events in NY, DC and PA.







• In addition to a live webcast of Sept. 11 events, CBSNews.com will provide archival footage of CBS News coverage of Sept. 11 and the weeks after, as well as original reports looking forward and back at the impact of the attacks.







• CBS Newspath, the network’s 24-hour news service to its owned stations and affiliates in the U. S. and around the globe, will provide live reports from Ground Zero beginning Friday, Sept. 9 through Monday, Sept. 12. Additionally, CBS Newspath will have a correspondent live at Ground Zero beginning at 5:00 AM, ET on Sept. 11.







• CBS News’ Polling & Survey Unit will present exclusive poll results and statistical analysis.

NYPD Heighten Alert for "Lone Wolf" on 9/11 Anniversary

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – The NYPD is strengthening its safety net around the city as the 9/11 anniversary approaches and the city’s top cop says he’s very concerned about an attack timed to coincide with the memorials.



in New York City. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)



Reporting Marla Diamond



LISTEN: WCBS 880′s Marla Diamond reports



http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/08/18/police-commissioner-ray-kelly-nyc-on-heightened-alert-for-911-anniversary/



Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the city has not received any specific threats, but is on heightened alert for the 9/11 anniversary.



“We have to be concerned,” Kelly said. “Osama bin Laden spoke about some event on September 11, 2011 twice in the last two years.”



Kelly says bin Laden’s death is not a game changer





Kelly says some of the avengers may be so-called lone wolves, radicallized by what they read online.



President Barack Obama has also said a “lone wolf” terror attack in the U.S. is more likely than a major coordinated effort like the September 11 attacks

National Anti-Terror Campaign Launched Ahead of 9/11 Anniversary

As the 10-year anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks approaches, the Department of Homeland Security has launched a national television campaign to remind citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to authorities.



The government agency announced the public-service campaign in a blog post Wednesday by Secretary Janet Napolitano. "As I've said in the past, hometown security is the key to homeland security," she wrote. "Time and again, we've seen terrorist attacks thwarted by alert individuals who notify authorities when something just doesn't seem right ... security is a shared responsibility and we all have a role to play."



The TV spots are inspired by a local campaign that began across New York subways and buses in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. The Big Apple's Metropolitan Transit Authority owns the rights to the campaign idea -- and its memorable tagline, "If You See Something, Say Something" -- and has licensed that tagline to Homeland Security for its anti-terror and anti-crime efforts. The MTA's work has proved successful, and was credited with thwarting a potentially deadly attack in New York's Times Square last May.



In one of the national spots (watch below), a woman exits a cab at a train station only to walk in and drop off a bag unattended. With dark, thumping music in the background, the voiceover says: "Maybe you see something suspicious but you don't want to get involved. 'It's nothing,' you think. Can you be sure?"



Along with the TV spots, the the department is running two 30-second radio ads to help raise awareness; one takes place is a shopping mall setting and another at a sporting event.



It's unclear if the radio and TV ads were created internally or with the help of an agency; Homeland Security representatives didn't respond to a request for comment by press time.





While the ads don't reference the 9/11 attacks or other terror attempts specifically, it's clear the U.S. government is on heightened alert in the weeks before the 10th anniversary of the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The launch of the campaign comes just a day after President Barack Obama, in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, said he's especially concerned by the potential of a "lone-wolf" terrorist incident similar to the one that caused mayhem in Norway last month



http://adage.com/article/news/feds-launch-national-anti-terror-tv-campaign-ahead-9-11/229342/

NYPD Dedicated to Fighting Terrorism as 9/11 Anniversary Approaches

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center, the question of New York's vulnerability to terror attacks is again in the forefront of public discussion.



While the NYPD's main focus has been and continues to be conventional crime fighting, we devote considerable resources to deterring another attack.



In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, many thought another terrorist attack on New York was inevitable.



While the NYPD never subscribed to that notion, we knew that Al Qaeda and its adherents kept New York at the top of its target list and plotted feverishly to come back and kill New Yorkers.



There have been 13 plots against New York that have been thwarted by either the great work of our Federal partners, NYPD officers, just plain luck, or a combination of all three. They were:



-- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's plot to take down the Brooklyn Bridge a year after the destruction of the World Trade Center was abandoned only after Al Qaeda operative Iyman Farris found security at the bridge made it too difficult to attack.



-- The December 2002 plot to disperse cyanide gas in the subway system. It was called off at the last minute by Iyman Zawahiri for what he said was "something bigger."



-- Al Qaeda's Al Hindi plotted against the New York Stock Exchange, Citigroup Headquarters in midtown Manhattan and the Prudential Center in New Jersey.



-- The Parachas, father and son, abetted Al Qaeda in what was ultimately believed to be a plan to use shipping containers to smuggle explosives -- possibly even a nuclear device -- into Manhattan's Garment District.



-- An undercover NYPD police officer helped disrupt a 2004 plot to bomb the Herald Square subway station by lone-wolf admirers of Al Qaeda.



-- Other Al Qaeda sympathizers plotted to bomb fuel storage tanks at JFK International Airport and blow up the Buckeye pipeline that transports jet fuel from New Jersey to JFK and LaGuardia via Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens.



-- The plot to flood Manhattan's financial district by simultaneously bombing the PATH subway and the retaining wall at the World Trade Center site.



-- A British-based plot to destroy seven commercial aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean or fly one or more of them into East Coast targets, including New York City.



-- A plot to bomb a Manhattan-bound LIRR commuter train was discussed at the highest levels of Al Qaeda operational leadership.



http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-08-07/local/29878464_1_ahmed-ferhani-najibullah-zazi-plot

A&E 9/11 anniversary with “Portraits from Ground Zero”

A&E Network and BIO Channel are lining up four doc specials to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11, with the former set to air Portraits from Ground Zero, a two-hour special centering on photojournalist Andrea Booher’s pictures taken at Ground Zero in the days following the September 11 attacks.



The special will air on A&E at 10 p.m. EST on September 10. According to the network, Booher was one of the only photographers given full 24-hour access to Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The doc will feature the subjects of Booher’s photographs, including a firefighter searching for the body of his life-long friend; a teenage girl mourning her stepfather; and a Franciscan friar ministering to the dead.



Elsewhere, BIO will premiere When Pop Culture Saved America on September 5 at 8 p.m., a two-hour documentary that looks at the days and months following the attack, showing “how the non-news media pitched in to bring the nation together,” with comedians, singers, actors and entertainers putting on a variety of concerts, telethons and specials.



Also on BIO, the network’s original series I Survived… will air a special profiling the stories of 12 fire fighters, ambulance workers, defense officials and office workers who all survived 9/11. I Survived…9/11 airs September 6 at 8 p.m.



Finally, A&E’s hour-long special Beyond: Messages from 9/11 looks at people who say they have received signs and messages from lost loved ones, who died during 9/11, from beyond the grave. It airs September 10 at 10 p.m.



Portraits from Ground Zero is produced by Left/Right, When Pop Culture Saved America is made by BrainStorm, I Survived…9/11 is produced by NHNZ, and Beyond: Messages from 9/11 is made by September Films.







Tags: A&E, A+E Networks, Beyond: Messages from 9/11, BIO Channel, BrainStorm, I

NYPD: Remember the Heroes

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • President Barack Obama and New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, left, meet with police officers and first responders at the First Precinct before visiting the National Sept. 11 Memorial at Ground Zero in New York, Thursday, May 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
President Obama made a brief but solemn visit to the site of Osama bin Laden's most heinous crime Thursday, meeting with first responders and the family members of 9/11 victims in his first trip to New York since the al Qaeda leader's death.

At the World Trade Center site itself, he made no speeches, simply leaving a wreath composed of red, white and blue flowers in front of what has come to be known as the "Survivor Tree." Then Obama walked over to 14-year-old Payton Wall, whose father was killed nearby nearly ten years ago, and gave her a hug.

"We just talked," Wall told television crews after her meeting with the president, which was prompted by a letter she wrote him just days ago. She was joined by her younger sister, a friend who also lost a parent on 9/11, and her mother.

Before that visit to Lower Manhattan, Obama met with a group of New York City firefighters in a station that lost 15 members on September 11, 2001. Bin Laden's death, he said in his most extensive public remarks, sent a message "that when we say we will never forget, we mean what we say."

And, he added pointedly, he believed that "when those guys took those extraordinary risks going into Pakistan, that they were doing it in part because of the sacrifices that were made in the States. They were doing it in the name of your brothers that were lost."

Although some on the right had contended that Obama's visit to New York would serve as little more than a "victory lap," including, supposedly, an anonymous member of the George W. Bush camp, the mood throughout the day was somber. The trip was Obama's first to Ground Zero since 2008.

After he laid the wreath just steps from where the World Trade Center towers once stood, Obama had a private meeting with about 60 family members.

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For Lee Ielpi, a retired member of the FDNY whose firefighter son died responding to the attack on the World Trade Center, that meeting was "casual." He noted that "there was no script. I was impressed, he spoke from the heart, he was very sincere, he spoke about the mission and that it was accomplished, which I really thought was very nice."

Central Florida Ballet "9/11: An American Moment."

Central Florida Ballet commemorates the 10^th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States with a performance of its ballet, "9/11: An American Moment." Created in 2006, the performance pays tribute to the heroes and survivors of the attacks. In 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives recognized the production, which celebrates American courage, resolve and pride.

MORE INFO: centralfloridaballet.com

Westport (MA) Fire Department to retrieve steel beam from 9/11

WESTPORT — A steel beam salvaged from the World Trade Center will become part of the new fire station as a permanent memorial to those killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Fire Chief Brian Legendre said he received official notification Wednesday that the department's request for the steel was approved and is ready for pickup.

"We knew when we went to (New York City) following the attacks that we were watching history unfold before us," Legendre said in a statement. "Now we are bringing a part of that history back to Westport as a reminder for everyone to see and touch."

Plans call for members of the Fire Department to make a pilgrimage March 10 to New York City to retrieve the 435-pound steel I-beam and escort it back to Westport.

Eighteen months ago, Westport submitted a formal request to the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for one of the beams. Distribution of artifacts from the trade center building began recently, according to Nancy Johnson, manager of the WTC Artifacts Program. Johnson said the goal is to distribute 1,000 pieces of steel before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks later this year.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110218/NEWS/102180315/-1/NEWS06

Cleveland Orchestra plans 9/11 tribute concert for the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 11,

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Orchestra is planning a free, outdoor concert this year to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and honor those who were killed.

The tribute concert is planned for the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 11, at downtown Cleveland's Public Square. It will be directed by Loras John Schissel and will be titled "Hope. Remembrance. Dedication."

The event will take the place of the orchestra's annual "Star-Spangled Spectacular" on the square.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/cleveland-orchestra-plans-9-11-tribute-concert-1086531.html

NYPD K-9 dog who scoured WTC after 9/11, is mourned

A beloved 9/11 hero has gone to Rainbow Bridge.

Charlie, a former member of the NYPD K-9 Unit who scoured the rubble at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks, died last week of natural causes. He was just months shy of his 13th birthday.

"We cherished him," said Police Officer Suzanne McCrosson, Charlie's owner and handler, who spent six years patrolling the streets of New York with her loyal companion.

"What I remember most vividly of the day I first got him was his sweet eyes and all that hair!" she recalled. "Little did I know at the time what a rare and special gift I was given."'

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/pets/2011/01/22/2011-01-22_a_tribute_to_charlie_k9_who_scoured_wtc_after_911_is_mourned.html