Naval Academy ramps up security, restricts Annapolis visitors in wake of New Orleans terror attack, FBI warning
BALTIMORE -- Security at large gatherings both in Maryland and across the country remains a top concern after the terror attack in New Orleans.
Mayor Brandon Scott said Baltimore is prepared for the Ravens game on Saturday, and WJZ has learned the Naval Academy ramped up security on its Annapolis campus.
Annapolis alert
On Friday, general public visitation was suspended until further notice, and the Academy's Trusted Traveler program, which allows a credentialed person to escort a non-credentialed visitor on campus, has also been immediately suspended.
It follows the deadly New Year's Day attack in New Orleans and a truck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
"I do commend the FBI and law enforcement in being very forthcoming with the information they have," said Maryland U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin. "Obviously, there are a lot of questions beginning with what is the continuing threat to public safety. And at this point, all indications are that they have the situation under control on the ground."
FBI bulletin
The FBI also released a bulletin, which WJZ reviewed, that warns of the possibility of copycat attacks.
It states, "The surge in vehicle-ramming attacks in 2016 and 2017 suggests that successful attacks—particularly in the West—may inspire similarly motivated actors to adopt the same method. This tactic is likely to remain attractive for aspiring attackers given vehicles' ease of acquisition and the low skill threshold necessary to conduct an attack."
"We're always concerned about any behavior that may drive other violent behavior, and we've certainly seen that in these these two events," said David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office. "The FBI will continue to look for any intelligence that might let us discover a plan to commit a violent acts whether it's individually or as a large group, and we will ensure that we assess and move that information to our partners as quickly as possible."
Authorities are still working to determine the motive of the Vegas suspect, an Army soldier who died in the incident.
They believe the New Orleans attacker was inspired by ISIS and acted alone.
"Whether he was acting directly on behalf of a foreign terrorist group or he was a homegrown admirer of terrorism or he was someone who was just deeply troubled and that was part of the mix, the result was the same, which was mayhem," Rep. Raskin said.
Mayor Brandon Scott told WJZ earlier this week, "It's just an unthinkable tragedy at a time when people wanted to be celebrating."
Mayor Scott offered his prayers for the people of New Orleans.
Increased security in D.C.
Police also ramped up security in nearby Washington, D.C. ahead of the inauguration and former President Carter's state funeral.
The FBI intelligence bulletin warns to be on the lookout for "attempts to gain unauthorized entry to an event through use of false credentials or fake uniforms."
The bulletin also says to be alert for "rental vehicles parked for prolonged periods of time near sensitive facilities, such as government, military, utility, or other sensitive sites, without a reasonable alternative explanation."
The chief of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. police force briefed reporters Friday.
"As of this moment there are no credible known threats here in the District of Columbia, but out of an abundance of caution, I have heightened our security postures across the city in light of the recent events," Chief Pamela Smith said. "Members of the community will notice an increased presence of police officers throughout the District. I want to assure our community that whenever a significant event occurs such as what happened on New Year's Day, we closely monitor the incident and immediately begin engaging with intelligence communities, and we take an additional step to reevaluate our security posture to ensure the safety of our residents, businesses, as well as our visitors."
Former BPD commissioner's concerns
Earlier this week, WJZ spoke to former Baltimore police commissioner Michael Harrison, who now lives in New Orleans, about security concerns.
Harrison once ran the police force in New Orleans before he was hired in Baltimore.
"Cities should be thinking about not just their security in terms of the presence of law enforcement but the infrastructure that needs to happen to prevent people from driving vehicles small and large from plowing into crowds that gather in public places. We are all vulnerable. We all should be thinking about it," Harrison told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.
