US investigates possible Internet threat to NYC

REUTERS WASHINGTON – US law enforcement and counter-terrorism officials are trying to figure out the significance of recent occurrences on websites believed to have close links to al-Qaida, including a graphic some fear could be an attack threat directed at New York City.

The graphic contained a picture of the Manhattan skyline superimposed with a Hollywood-style caption that says: “AL-QAEDA – coming soon again in New York.”

It was posted on Monday by a site called the Ansar al Mujahiddin Arabic Forum, or AMAF, a militant web forum which allegedly has close connections to the Afghan Taliban and a key militant leader in Jordan.

At the same time, two Internet forums authorities believe have official al-Qaida sanction have been down for nearly two weeks, said Evan Kohlmann, an expert who monitors militant websites for government entities and private businesses.

A spokesman for the FBI office in New York said the Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating whether the posting was authentic and that while every threat is taken seriously “there is no specific or credible threat to New York.”