NYPD says Iranian spies conducted 'hostile reconnaissance' of New York City landmarks

New York, Mar 22 (ANI): The New York Police Department (NYPD) has claimed that Iranian spies have conducted 'hostile reconnaissance' of the New York city landmarks and infrastructure on at least six occasions since 2002.

NYPD Director of Intelligence Analysis Mitchell Silber said that the department has interviewed at least 13 individuals associated with the Iranian government who were caught suspiciously videotaping or photographing the subway tracks in Grand Central Station, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Wall Street Heliport.

Silber said that New York City's international significance and large Jewish presence makes it "the most likely venue for global tensions with Iran to spill over onto American soil."

"A terrorist attack by Iran or [the Iranian-backed terror group] Hizbollah in New York City could serve as retaliation for real or perceived US support or involvement in military action against Iran's nuclear facilities or against its regime," The New York Post quoted Silber, as saying.

Silber stressed that the NYPD has been studying the modus operandi in Iranian-linked attacks, from the 1992 and 1994 bombings on Jewish targets in Argentina to 2012 attacks in India and Thailand.

"Iran has a proven record of using its official presence in a foreign city to coordinate attacks, which are then carried out by Hizbollah agents from abroad, often leveraging the local community-whether wittingly or not-as facilitators," he said.

Silber said the NYPD was remaining vigilant to prevent any Iranian-linked terrorist activities in the nation's largest city. (ANI)