By Times Ledger staff
New York City responded swiftly to the terrorist attacks that rocked Brussels Tuesday, sending National Guard troops to protect Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in Queens. State troopers were assigned to two key transit hubs, Penn Station and Grand Central Station, as well as the
Queens Midtown Tunnel.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statement saying, “I have directed state law enforcement officials to step up security at high-profile locations around the state, including our airports, tunnels and mass transit systems.”
ISIS has taken credit for the two bombings that struck the airport terminal in Belgium and another that targeted a subway station during the morning rush hour in the Belgian capitol.
At least 30 people were killed and more than 200 injured as casualty reports continued to mount through the day.
Although authorities said there was no known threat to New York City or the state at present, the governor said “we are working with all local and federal authorities, remaining vigilant and taking all necessary measures to keep New Yorkers safe.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not raised the federal threat level.
At a news conference later in the day, Mayor Bill de Blasio commended the NYPD, in particular, for increasing the police presence around the city within a short time frame.
Police Commissioner William Bratton pointed out that the mayor played a role in the creation of a special terrorism task force, which now has nearly 1,300 additional officers within its ranks. As a result, Bratton said the NYPD was able to literally double the number of officers on duty as the morning rush hour got underway in the transit system,
Bratton, who rode the subway from Grand Central downtown to Union Station, described seeing a transit dog on patrol inside the subway entrance as well as four special terrorist officers equipped with long guns and helmets riding in two cars of his express train.
Over in Penn Station helmeted police officers with guns slung over their shoulders were surveying the morning crowds in an usually strong show of force.
But even on Queens’ densely traveled roadways and major transit hubs security appeared to be normal.
