NYPD ramps security ahead of 9/11 anniversary

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Tuesday marks the eleventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and even though there is already visible heightened security throughout New York City, authorities are actually on the lookout for a different kind of threat.

There are no particular threats from any major terrorist organization, but the NYPD is taking security very seriously, particularly after new warnings about a possible lone wolf assault.

ABC News has obtained a law enforcement bulletin packed with the familiar warnings. But this year, there is no high alert. That's because there is less al-Qaida chatter, unlike last year, because the organization has less of a command structure holding it together.

"Twenty-three of the top 30 al-Qaida commanders are off the field, either dead or captured, in the two to three to four years," said Michael Breen, of the Truman National Security Project. "So this has been a pretty tough series of months and years for al-Qaida."

Authorities aren't underestimating the lone wolf threat. The Times Square bomber is just one example. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says the NYPD will be ready.

"We'll have our standard counter-terrorism overlay," he said. "You know, we have a special unit assigned to security of the memorial, so we feel that we're doing everything appropriate to secure it."

The NYPD is also going to incorporate social media into their 9/11 remembrances. People will be able to go to Facebook to learn more about the members of the NYPD who were killed at the site in 2001.

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new york city, world trade center, september 11, nypd, new york news, anthony johnson

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