But the informer’s information on the plot was second- or third-hand, another official said. It included only a vague physical description of the two men - one described as 5 feet tall, the other 5-foot-8 - and a first name for one, Suliman, which is common in the Middle East. The tipster also described a third conspirator, but he appeared to have traveled to Europe.
“All this information is very, very sketchy,’’ one of the law enforcement officials said.
While the informer was not specific about targets, officials in both New York and Washington increased scrutiny of bridges and tunnels, long considered potential targets for vehicle bombs.
The increased security came as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden publicly discussed the threat, trying to strike a balance between urging vigilance and preventing panic. “There are specifics - in that sense it was credible,’’ Biden said on the ABC News program “Good Morning America,’’ “but there’s no certitude.’’
The increased police presence forced drivers heading toward Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge to squeeze into a single lane and through a gantlet of police officers, who walked around and between the cars, singling out some for a closer look. In Lower Manhattan, just a few blocks from ground zero, police vehicles with flashing lights were positioned in front of the former American Stock Exchange building.
“It’s good,’’ said Wolfgang Klebe, who runs a shipping business in Lower Manhattan, as he watched the officers yesterday morning. “They have to do this.’’
More bomb sweeps of parking garages were planned; ferries were to be given extra police coverage; and cars parked illegally were to be towed quickly, not just ticketed.
