Law enforcement raises security for July 4 amid terrorism scare

Law enforcement officials across the country are upping security around the July 4 holiday as part of a heightened state of alert.

The move stems from a bulletin sent by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center last week and obtained by CNN, which warned of an elevated threat level thanks to the holiday.

{mosads}The warning did not include information on any specific plot, but served to heighten awareness around a potential threat pegged to the holiday or to the controversy over depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) told CNN’s “Wolf Blitzer Reports” on Wednesday that the bulletin came from intelligence picked up from supporters of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and warned that this is “more than just the usual” holiday warning.

“I mean, going back to dealing with the FBI and Homeland Security over the last two or three weeks, I would say this is the most intense level of concern I’ve seen, maybe since 9/11,” he said.

Police departments in major American are reportedly heeding that call.  James Waters, the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism chief, told CNN that while there has not been a specific threat, “our operating premise is that we are the target in New York City all the time, so the information that is out there is for awareness purposes and for people to go about their lives, enjoy the holiday weekend.”

That also goes for the nation’s capital, where tens of thousands will flock to watch fireworks in the iconic skyline. U.S. Park Police Chief Robert MacLean told ABC News on Thursday that security measures will be both seen and unseen across the National Mall and encouraged the public to reach out to officers if they see something suspicious. 

Thursday’s massive police response to reports of an active shooter at the Washington Navy Yard also came in the wake of that warning. Dozens of police cars responded to the locked-down complex, but an investigation didn’t find evidence of a shooter.