Area Synagogues On Alert After Cargo Plane Terror Plot

NEW YORK (CBS 2/1010 WINS) – New York area synagogues were on heightened alert Monday, and some New York City apartment buildings were taking the extra precaution of not accepting package deliveries at all. This was all in response to Friday’s discovery of an international terror plot from Yemen targeting synagogues in Chicago, CBS 2HD’s Derricke Dennis reports.

“When something like this happens, it’s an awakening call to all of us saying the threat of radical Islam is not over, and will not be over, and we’ve got to be on alert all the time,” said State Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

Hikind, a prominent member of Brooklyn’s Jewish community, said it’s no longer a question of if synagogues would be struck by terrorists, but when.

The Secure Community Alert Network, or SCAN put New York synagogues on alert Monday, sending out a communique saying they are “advised to immediately be on the lookout for the delivery of any large packages if opened, that may contain printers, printer cartridges, cell phones or timers.”

The same packaging was involved in Friday’s terror.

“I told my staff, my wife is the head of a Jewish organization, I told her on Friday, I said ‘Don’t open anything. Be extra careful, because that’s the reality of life. That’s the world we’re living in, we’re living in a world where there are enemies of America that want to kill us,” Hikind said.

The heightened security has area Jews feeling terrorized themselves. “We’re very scared and we tried to pray to God to watch on us,” said Moshe Blumenberg of Borough Park.

Area Jewish organizations said they were particularly concerned about their mail, especially packages.

Members said holes in the screening of international cargo make them vulnerable to anything coming through the mail.

There were reports that 15 Central Park West was diverting packages but a UPS driver told 1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa that he had just delivered something to the building without any problems.