The New York Police Department Counterterrorism Bureau has prepared a threat analysis of the thwarted London car bombings, NBC News reported on Sunday. The white paper, obtained by NBC, was written for private-security officials in the U.S. It finds that "there is no evidence of high explosives" in the two Mercedes sedans, and that the London bombs were "designed to inflict mass casualties."
The NYPD also speculates about the timing of the incidents and reports, among other things, that more than 100 British men recently received jihadist training in Iraq and then returned to the U.K.
"Approximately 150 Britons have traveled to fight in Iraq; a number are believed to have returned and formed 'sleeper cells,'" the NYPD writes.
In a section titled "Implications for New York City," it says that vehicle-based explosives — similar to those used in Iraq and Afghanistan — have "long been regarded as a viable threat in NYC." It warns that "use of luxury sedans" packed with explosives could allow vehicles "to blend into target neighborhoods."
It urges security officials to be on the lookout for luxury sedans and other vehicles with sagging tires, signs of recent welding, tinted windows or other more obvious signs of trouble including gas cylinders, wires and batteries.
The report was written as part of the public-private "NYPD SHIELD" information-sharing program, designed for "private sector security managers to obtain information and engage Police Department resources."
Lisa Myers will have a full report on the threat analysis and the latest on the U.K. bombings on NBC's Nightly News at 6:30 p.m. ET.
