NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Nassau County Police Department announced on Wednesday increased security measures for this weekend’s cricket tournament on Long Island after a pro-ISIS group posted a threatening graphic featuring host venue Eisenhower Stadium along with an ominous message.
The flyer was posted on Tuesday on a pro-ISIS channel pointing to "Nassau Stadium" and featured drones flying, with text saying, "You wait for matches and we wait for you." It also mentioned June 9.
“To date, there are no credible threats to the tournament,” Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder said following an investigation.
Ryder acknowledged that they had alerted the community about the event and said that they will “continue to intensively patrol our critical infrastructure to deter any type of criminal or suspicious activity.”
The International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup will take place at Eisenhower Park starting June 1 to June 12.
Nassau County police are working with the Hochul administration, NYPD and New York State Police Counter Terrorism Unit and New York State Police Troop L, based on Long Island.
Hochul also restated that “while there is no credible public safety threat at this time, we continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The New York State Police will be present for elevated security measures, including an increased law enforcement presence, advanced surveillance, and thorough screening processes, according to Hochul.
“If you were really going to do something, why would you tell people you’re coming?” former Homeland Security Advisor Michael Balboni told WCBS 880. “As Commissioner Ryder of the Nassau County Police Department has said, they take every threat seriously and look at all the leads. They’re going to do things that make sense within the venue.”
When asked about ISIS’s current capabilities, he acknowledged, “They do, unfortunately, still have the capability, but whether or not they can project an attack here in the United States remains to be seen. There has been no evidence of operational cells here, but the threat remains dynamic, whether it’s the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, or what’s going on with China. There are many out there who want to sow distrust and disruption, and perpetrating a successful terrorist attack gives the organization lots of credibility.”
“The worst threats are the ones you don’t see coming,” Balboni said. “If you take a look at things like the Boston Marathon bombing, nobody knew that was gonna come. Afterwards, intelligence officials are always saying, ‘What were the signs ahead of time?’ but you certainly don’t have these proclamations.”
As the Cricket World Cup approaches, thousands are expected to attend and heightened security measures are in place to ensure the safety of all attendees, with officials remaining vigilant against any potential threats.