NEW YORK (PIX11) — The NYPD is still on the lookout for threats similar to the attack Israel faced earlier this month — but the police department emphasized again on Monday there is no specific credible threat against New York City.
A Nassau County resident knows firsthand what that is all about, having narrowly survived the Hamas assault on a music festival in Israel on Oct. 7.
“Every decision you made in that moment, every split-second decision, either saved your life or got you killed, and you had no idea of knowing which decision was the right decision,” said Natalie Sanandaji.
More than 250 festival attendees were killed in the attack, while others were kidnapped. It was all part of a broader plot that killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians.
Sanandaji, a 28-year-old Jewish woman from Great Neck, spoke about the harrowing ordeal and about the Israeli mission to root-out Hamas.
“This isn’t a fight between Palestine and Israel,” Sanandaji said. “This is a fight between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist organization that is just as complicit in the deaths of innocent Palestinians as it is in the deaths of innocent Israelis.”
The NYPD said it is already working to understand the attack better, working specifically with its liaison Detective Charlie Benaim who is based in Israel full-time.
“So that way our executives can have a good understanding of what’s happening in Israel and how it may impact our city,” Benaim said.
Police officers in New York City remain on heightened alert, securing sensitive locations like synagogues and mosques.
However, Rebecca Weiner, deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, stressed there is no reason for specific concern over an imminent attack.
“This is a moment of heightened threat,” Weiner said. “We’ve had many over the years, and the types of threats we’re attuned to are the types of threats that New York City has grappled with quite successfully over the last 15 years — and absolutely people need to be going about their daily business.”
The NYPD also faced a lot of questions about hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since the Oct. 7 terror attack. Police officials promised a full debrief on that Tuesday.