NYPD to increase police presence ahead of Jewish High Holidays, UN General Assembly
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The NYPD is increasing its police presence surrounding the upcoming Jewish high holidays, and amid the war in the Mideast, and next week's United Nations General Assembly.
Across the city, houses of worship will start to see a heavily-armed police presence, with Rosh Hashanah set to begin at sundown on Sept. 22 and lasting until Sept. 25, which will be followed by Yom Kippur in October.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and the head of NYPD's Intelligence Bureau briefed members of the Jewish community on Wednesday, about plans to keep them safe.
"Each attack makes the next more likely. That's how contagion work," Tisch said. "Since Oct. 7, more than 25 attacks or disrupted plots have targeted Israeli and U.S. diplomatic sites. In December, a Virginia man was arrested for planning an attack against the Israeli Consulate in Midtown. Last May, a man was arrested at JFK for allegedly trying to firebomb the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv."
This year, the NYPD is on particularly high alert, with the Jewish holidays coinciding with Israel's increased ground war in Gaza, the annual United Nations General Assembly and as tensions rise in the U.S. following the murder of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
More drones than ever will hover over the city next week as police and federal law enforcement agencies work feverishly to expand security for President Donald Trump and more than 200 other world leaders convening for the UN General Assembly.
"We are always thinking how we can make our apparatus bigger and better," NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said. "We will probably be using more drones than we ever have to get that overview perched of everything that's around us."
The urgent rethink of security followed the killing of Kirk in Utah, the latest in a rash of political violence that police said makes politicians, public figures and other dignitaries targets.
ABC News contributed to this report.
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