New York, Sept.24 (ANI): A small army of U.S. security forces has been marshaled to protect Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his stay in New York.
Ahmadinejad, who has threatened the U.S. with a "war without boundaries" and suggested the U.S. may have secretly carried out the 9/11 terror attacks, has a security force that is probably only second to that of President Obama.
One official described the force protecting Ahmadinejad as the "classic high threat package."
According to ABC News, his security entourage bristles with elite officers with high tech weapons and gear. It includes Secret Service agents, uniformed and undercover New York City police officers, an ambulance, an armored vehicle known as a CAT car that comes with a heavily armed SWAT team and possibly an attack dog.
His motorcade also includes a large Secret Service truck that generally includes electronic jammers to prevent any remote controlled device from being detonated.
The Hilton Hotel where Ahmadinejad is staying is swarming with security personnel and has a Fire Department unit stationed there in case a fire breaks out in the hotel.
Counterterror and intelligence officials are monitoring electronic chatter and undercover informants on the street for any information that might change the threat profile, sources said.
In addition, the Iranian president brought along dozens of his own security agents.
"It's larger than all the other high profile people by far," a law enforcement source said.
The elaborate effort to protect Ahmadinejad was on display earlier this week when a select audience was invited to breakfast with him.
Invitees were asked to RSVP and then be patient because the details of when and where the breakfast would take place were not provided until very close to the event itself.
When the day arrived, punctuality was a must. Vigorous searches of gear and airport-style pat downs preceded admittance to the room.
The Secret Service was there, working alongside Ahmadinejad's own security detail (a rare moment of U.S.-Iranian cooperation).
After 10 minutes or so of access to a buffet spread, guests were shooed away, ordered to their seats by Iranian officials. "The president is coming!" (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
