Police patrols in Washington, New York

WASHINGTON – New York and Washington police were conducting extra patrols yesterday around major financial institutions following “alarming” intelligence of an al Qaeda plot to use car bombs to attack the New York Stock Exchange and the IMF and World Bank headquarters.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge raised the terrorism threat level to “high” in portions of Washington and New York on Sunday, following reports that the terror network planned to use truck or car bombs against financial targets, including New York-based Citigroup and Prudential Financial buildings in northern New Jersey. As a precaution, authorities closed New York’s Holland Tunnel to commercial traffic heading into the city beginning yesterday.The tunnel links an area of Manhattan where several of the financial institutions are located to New Jersey.In Newark, New Jersey, police set up metal fences around the headquarters of Prudential Financial, blocked off two streets and armed themselves with assault rifles.An intelligence official told reporters that the information included details on escape routes, security cameras, the best place to park vehicles with explosives, pedestrian and traffic patterns, and even the degree of garage ramp inclines.- Nampa-AFPAs a precaution, authorities closed New York’s Holland Tunnel to commercial traffic heading into the city beginning yesterday.The tunnel links an area of Manhattan where several of the financial institutions are located to New Jersey.In Newark, New Jersey, police set up metal fences around the headquarters of Prudential Financial, blocked off two streets and armed themselves with assault rifles.An intelligence official told reporters that the information included details on escape routes, security cameras, the best place to park vehicles with explosives, pedestrian and traffic patterns, and even the degree of garage ramp inclines.- Nampa-AFP