Cuomo, Christie, De Blasio Talk Counterterrorism With Homeland Security Chief
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie met with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Monday to discuss ways to secure the region from what they described as a mounting terror threat fueled by Islamic State extremists.
The governors, along with Mayor Bill de Blasio, emerged from the meeting in midtown Manhattan saying they would develop a coordinated security plan covering both states.
The session came a week after President Barack Obama told the country he is authorizing stepped-up airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Islamic State militants.
As CBS 2's Dick Brennan reported, U.S. military forces conducted two air strikes against Islamic State militants near Sinjar and southwest of Baghdad.
"The President is making it clear that we have a larger role in Iraq and Syria, and it's not just to provide some technical assistance," said U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) "We are going to be a major
force."
As the airstrikes happened, the now-familiar anti-terror squads were evident in Midtown, CBS 2's Lou Young reported.
"We're increasingly concerned about domestic based potential acts of terrorism, particularly as groups overseas become more sophisticated in their own propaganda," Johnson said.
Cuomo, Christie, De Blasio Talk Counterterrorism With Homeland Security Chief
As CBS 2's Marcia Kramer reported, the political leaders agreed ISIS, also known as ISIL, is a new type of threat. It beheads people, is media savvy and is wealthy. It takes an estimated $3 million a day just from black-market oil sales, and it's also involved in extortion and crime.
"We face an evolving potential terrorist threat to the homeland and to the region," Johnson told reporters after the meeting.
"The terrorist threat is more decentralized," Johnson added. "In many ways, it is more complex."
Cuomo, Christie, De Blasio Talk Counterterrorism With Homeland Security Chief
Officials are also worried that the terrorist propaganda machine will create local lone wolves, creating a new threat for potential domestic attacks, Johnson said.
There are numerous high-risk entry points in the region -- airports, railway stations and ports. The metro area is not only a busy tourist and commerce hub, but it's also home to the world's financial capital.
Translation: There are a lot of targets.
"We would be in a state of denial if we did not say, with what's going on internationally, that the risk of a threat to us has increased," Cuomo said.
"We need to make sure that we are ahead of the curve on this," Christie told reporters, including WCBS 880's Rich Lamb.
"As New Yorkers, we know our city is the No. 1 terror target," de Blasio added.
Christie and Cuomo promised at the meeting to work with the federal government very closely.
"The governor and I have tasked the heads of our state police and our homeland security directors to do a complete review of how we're conducting ourselves in terms of the protection of our assets in state and our people.
A preliminary analysis of the security in New York and New Jersey will be complied within 10 days, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported. Then, officials will assess what else they must do and how much those measures will cost.
Cuomo said resources will be increased if needed to make the area more secure.
The meeting came as U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced a series of urban pilot programs to counter violent extremism.
"The Justice Department is responding appropriately to disrupt homegrown terrorists and apprehend would-be violent extremists," the attorney general said in a video message.
Lawmakers at the national level have likewise expressed concern about the threat ISIS might pose to the American homeland.
"I think what matters is that we are going after them," said U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) "I really believe that they pose a direct threat to our homeland, so it's in the American national interest to act."
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