New York, NY – Following a failed car bomb found in Times Square yesterday evening that was defused by a heroic street vendor and New York City police, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) issued the following statement:
“I want to commend all the heroes who acted quickly to avert a potential disaster in Times Square yesterday – from the T-shirt vendor who saw something and did something, to Officer Wayne Radigan, to the entire NYPD and other law enforcement professionals who worked together quickly and seamlessly to defuse the situation. This incident shows that New Yorkers stand ready to do what’s necessary to keep our city safe.
“I spoke to Mayor Bloomberg this morning, and while we don’t yet know the details of who was behind this cowardly attempt to take innocent lives, this is yet another stark reminder that we must remain vigilant in investing federal homeland security resources to protect New York City and the nation. While we continue to gather all the relevant information, one thing is certain: more homeland security dollars are critical to prevent the worst case scenario – a dirty bomb or nuclear attack on our city. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to bring these resources to bear.”
Earlier this week, Senator Gillibrand and Representative Peter T. King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, contacted House and Senate appropriators urging them in a joint letter to include $20 million in the FY 2011 DHS appropriations bill for the continuation and expansion of the Securing the Cities Initiative, a highly successful partnership among federal, state and local authorities to prevent nuclear and radiological terrorism through a ring of detection devices in and around the New York metropolitan area. In FY 2010, Congress appropriated $20 million.