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Breaking: Suspicious Males Allegedly Sought In Subway!

2009_09_kumarfly.jpg According to the police and emergency responder scanners, there's a search for two men with wires around their neck! At West 42nd Street and Broadway, "LOOKING FOR 2 MIDDLE EASTERN WITH GREEN & BLUE WIRES ARROUND THEIR NECK, K9 ASSISTING."

And another, also at West 42nd and Broadway (but in the transit system): "LEVEL 1 MOBILIZATION CALLED REGARDING THE 2 SUSPICIOUS MALES LAST SEEN HEADING TOWARDS UNION SQUARE. 1 MALE IS APPROX 5' 7" 35-40 Y/O WEARING A NAVY BLUE SWEATER W/ GREEN AND BLUE WIRES AROUND HIS NECK POSSIBLY LINKING TO A DEVICE UNDER THE SWEATER. 2ND MALE IS AROUND 25 Y/O SLIM BUILD WEARING A BROWN SHIRT AND BROWN SHOES."

On Monday, two "suspicious" Middle Eastern males were removed from a United flight (one had disobeyed the flight crew's order not to use the bathroom before takeoff) but that was a false alarm. And NYC is on edge, what with the alleged terror plot.

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Comments [rss]

  • jm1975

    This was by far the worst post on Gothamist. Sensational headline, and then no follow-up?

  • doo

    So... nothing came of it, I guess?

  • Kojak

    I'd like to report that on the train, the bum next to me farted.



    I didn't call in SWAT or anything I just got up and walked to the end of the car.

  • valeriob

    I still see a lot of extra uniformed cops in times square.

    An lots of horse poop.

  • WesleySnipesAlot

    Sooo update? Anyone? Bueller?

  • rlb14

    Reporting things off a scanner when it is just a suspicion seems a bit hasty. Especially when, as you already report, people are on edge.



    It is not as if Gothamist is a breaking news site. Maybe wait until some actual facts are known before raising everyone's hysteria.

  • kittyblanchette

    So what is the update? There's no news of this anywhere else. Was this a hoax or for real? Seems irresponsible to make a post like this with no follow up.

  • HisGirl

    Exactly, i agree. I already called my Dad as he takes the subway to and from Union Square daily. Call it jumping to conclusions, but nowadays you can't be too careful.

  • jibbly

    FWIW, the MTA subway alerts email I received this morning:



    9:32AM Coney Island-bound N & Q trains running local 34th St- Canal. Due to police investigation at 14th St. Visit www.mta.info for details.



    9:47AM N & Q train service has resumed with residual delays.

  • HisGirl

    Maybe you should get a job with the Gothamist. Seems they need a little help.

  • Rocknrope

    Oh calm your knees, toots.

  • HisGirl

    Toots? OK Gramps.

  • Mr. Shankly

    Something tells me the double-secret threat level chart has been upgraded to 'red'. The authorities seem pretty jumpy lately.

    Perhaps it's time for that mountain vacation.

  • callo282

    Jen! UPDATE PLEASE!

  • Rocknrope

    Yeah, plus I have a zombie walk tonight and I want to make sure I don't get blown up while I pretend to be dead.

  • dreamking
  • JacqueMehoff

    all I know is a robbery suspect escaped from Manhattan criminal court and there's a Level 2 mobilization there.

  • JGNY

    Yes please update the story. Where is this info coming from? There is no mention of police activity or delays on the MTA website, no NotifyNYC updates, NY1, etc... Can we assume that the the trains are running normally in Midtown?

  • HisGirl

    I've been looking for more info too. I can't find anything anywhere. Reading about something like this and not knowing anything more is really frustrating.We are already on edge like the article says...

  • icedespresso

    Can we please, PLEASE get some kind of update on this?

  • JenChungsBaby

    UPDATE: NOTHING HAS EXPLODED YET

  • HisGirl

    Wow. You're a riot. Ass.

  • JenChungsBaby

    You guys need to chill. Half the people on the subway have wires on their necks. And I doubt that any real bombers would walk around with visible wires sticking out. Call Dad and tell him that.

  • HisGirl

    Hey JenChungsBra, I think you should switch names with DOUCHEBAG5000. You're a moron.

  • HisGirl

    THANK YOU!! Are we the only ones concerned lol

  • doo

    Yeah, it's not cool to just leave us hanging on something like this.

  • HisGirl

    Why isnt this story on any other news outlet?

  • valeriob

    It'll be in tomorrows newspapers, along with all the other old news. zing!

  • zodak

    i believe it's called "aged news"

  • ides_of_march

    Yes, for the sake of racial sensitivity, let's have the police waste time and effort looking for blond hair blue-eyed males. After all, there are just as many Mormon and southern Baptist suicide bombers in this world, aren't there?



    Political correctness is the islamic terrorist's best friend.

  • rides on farts

    ooooo this gets my goat!

  • captainblackout

    Raging against political correctness is so 1990s.

  • valeriob

    Seriously, can we talk about affirmative action instead?

  • valeriob

    Queek get een da choppaaaa!

  • Rocknrope

    If he's brown, we can kill it.

  • captainblackout

    Scary is the new funny.

  • douchebag5000

    hey assholes crying racism- zazi was ONE guy out of many, all of whom want to kill you while you're fucking around with your iphone on the 456

  • Potty Boy

    Pardon my ignorance. What's the "456"?

  • valeriob

    At least your handle gave me a fair warning.

  • Mr Mel

    Yeah. Why does she call herself that?

  • dwayno

    hahahahaha!!!

  • hotstepper

    this is not funny.

  • zodak

    lol

  • Matt Joyce

    rofl

  • americaonline

    It's probably one of Improv Everywhere's awesome pranks!

  • angry_pickle

    Anyone who pulls that "prank" should be shot in the head.

  • wobbleSmith

    they'd be lacking pants if that were the case.

  • dwayno

    hahaha! that would be funny and a little messed up if Improv Everywhere got into costume of the stereotypical terror suspect and rode the subways with multi colored iPod earphones.

  • longacre

    This post is going to be a lot less funny if it turns out these guys actually have bombs.

  • tijuanatornado

    Indeed.

  • ProcedureTurn

    If you see anything suspicious, report it!!!!



    I dont like the idea of young men walking around with bomb wires. They may be seeking revenge for the rcent muslim guy arrested.



    Be careful on the subway folks!!!!!

  • Snoopy

    I like the K9 assisting part. Do Middle Eastern individuals have a distinct smell about them like camel dung or aged goat cheese? I thought that that type of stereotyping went out when John Belushi died.



    Is a Level 1 Mobilization when they have a caravan of seventy five cop cars wailing their sirens and going nowhere in particular?

  • jaycjay

    Level 1 mobilization is simply calling in the boro task force. It's used routinely for incidents like shooting, bank robberies, pretty much anything that requires some manpower at a crime scene or other specific location. The idea is that local precinct officers can go back to doing their jobs in their respective sectors, while the task force handles whatever needs to be done at the incident scene.



    That might mean they canvass an area for witnesses, do an evidence search, etc. In this case they likely covered subway entrances looking for subject matching the description.

  • Potty Boy

    There really needs to be universal agreement on whether Level 1 of anything means the lowest or the highest level of alert. It's all very confusing. Defcon 1 is pretty much armageddon.

  • jibbly

    I just follow the "1st is the worst, 2nd is the best, 3rd is the one with the hairy chest" guidelines.

  • longacre

    The 30-cop-cars doing nothing thing is called a "surge." A Level 1 Mobilization is something completely different, used for actual crimes or serious incidents. Level 1 is the lowest of four levels.

  • NannyState

    They reserve 'Level 4' for attractive drunk ladies staggering home with their apartment key in their fingers.

  • whitecastlerock

    Is a Level 1 Mobilization when they have a caravan of seventy five cop cars wailing their sirens and going nowhere in particular? No, that occurs when there is a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new Dunkin Donuts ...

  • Trilby16

    Those caravans of police cars we keep seeing since 9/11? It's called a Facist Show of Power.

  • JenChungsBaby

    Explosives generally have a distinctive smell (if you're a dog).

  • Rocknrope

    They should also stop shouting. Use your inside terrorist-alert voice.

  • madzack

    bomb sniffing dogs dummy

  • SighR

    Christmas headphones?

  • farleft

    Muslim terrorists. Green and red wires around neck. Christmas headphones. Good one. You have a future in comedy.

  • books

    is there a website where you can see the text from those scanners?

  • longacre

    Click the Newsmap link at the top of this page.

  • Rocknrope

    They're going to end up pulling over every brown skin with Ipod headphones on.

  • SighR

    God I love that pic.

  • tijuanatornado

    I like Kumar.... :)

  • farleft

    Me too.

  • matunga

    you dont have to reinforce stereotypes with the use of the picture.

  • jerseyandy

    1. The picture is a joke. If you understood the context, you'd get the humor.



    2. I agree with Whitecastlerock and Papercutninja. Why call it by any other name? Look at the terrorists who are being arrested. It's not stereotyping if almost all of the terrorists fit a similiar description.



    Being smart/safe is more important than being politically correct.

  • Papercutninja

    So should they put up a picture of one of the white kids from Gossip Girl?

  • whitecastlerock

    Yes, please post a picture of a puppy running through a field instead-wouldn't want to perpetuate stereotypes.

  • CR

    True, but let's worry first about the two guys running around with possible explosive devices...

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