Kelly: NYC Remains 'Top Of Terrorist Target List'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the city remains "an enduring target'' 12 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Kelly said it's the consensus of the intelligence community that New York remains the No. 1 terrorist target in the United States.
"We're still very much a terrorist threat -- the top of the terrorist target list," he said, adding there have been 16 plots against the city since Sept. 11, 2001. "I think it underscores the fact that the threat is constant, it continues and we have to remain vigilant."
Kelly said there is desire to create mayhem in New York because it's seen as a communications and financial capital of the world.
"We symbolize an awful lot that is hated by extremists and we've made major efforts to protect the city, but it's an ongoing requirement, an ongoing effort that's needed to keep the city safe," Kelly said.
Former mayor Rudy Giuliani said the world is safer from terrorism today because of extra security measures. But he added there are also all kinds of active terrorist groups and factions around the globe.
Meanwhile, a new poll found fewer Americans fear their families could become the victim of a terror attack.
The poll by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research says 30 percent of those surveyed are a "great deal'' or "somewhat'' concerned about being harmed by terrorists.
That's the lowest level in polling on the subject dating back to 2004.
The AP-NORC Center survey was conducted Aug. 12-29, 2013 by NORC at the University of Chicago. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
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