US foils 'New York tunnel plot'
BBC
US authorities say they have disrupted the early stages of a plot to attack New York City's mass transit system. The alleged plot was discovered during routine monitoring of internet chatrooms used by extremist groups.
One man has been arrested in Lebanon over the plot, but the FBI said it had no indication of imminent threats to New York's transport system.
A report in the city's Daily News tabloid said plotters discussed targets including the Holland Tunnel.
But the FBI has not elaborated on the details, saying in a statement that it had "disrupted a terrorist network that was in the planning stages of an attack against the transportation system in the New York-New Jersey area".
While not confirming any Al-Qaeda involvement in the plot, the statement stressed that Osama bin Laden's terror network continued "to have an interest" in attacking the United States.
"At this point in time, there is no specific or credible information that al-Qaeda is planning an attack on US soil," it added.
'Flood plan'
The BBC's Jeremy Cooke, in New York, says that this alleged bomb plot seems more ambitious than practical, but that the authorities are clearly taking it as a serious threat and acting accordingly.
The Daily News - which broke the story - says that the plan was to flood parts of the city, including the financial district by bombing the road tunnel.
Many New Yorkers though have been quick to point out that as Lower Manhattan is above the level of the river, the plan could never have actually worked, our correspondent adds.
The FBI said a crucial development in what it described as an "ongoing" investigation, had been the recent arrest of a key suspect in Lebanon.
Reports quoting Lebanese security sources said a suspect in the plot - named as Amir Andalousi - had been arrested a month ago.
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York said this was one instance "where intelligence was on top of its game and discovered the plot when it was just in the talking phase".
A number of plots targeting subways, tunnels and other New York City landmarks have come to light since the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
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