With President Donald Trump scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly, the Secret Service announcement on the suspect plot of NYC has come.
Secret Service destroys threat networks near the UN General Assembly
The US Secret Service said it disrupts communications networks in the three states of New York, which warned investigators could potentially cripple communication systems in the area.
The Secret Service said it has thwarted a telecommunications network of tens of thousands of devices that could be used to wipe out New York City’s cell network while world leaders gathered there for the UN General Assembly.
Matt McCool, the special agent responsible for New York’s Secret Service Field Office, said an investigation was launched in the spring after “multiple communication-related imminent threats” against senior U.S. government officials.
“The network had the potential to disable the mobile tower and essentially shut down the mobile network in New York City,” says McCool.
Investigators discovered more than 300 Koroa SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards in the New York Tri State area, which is concentrated within 35 miles of the general meeting. It is not clear whether the device was intended to disrupt meetings and communications of world leaders, but the Secret Service said it moved quickly to dismantle the network, taking into account the timing and proximity of the threat. The network may have disrupted emergency communications, McCool added.
The Secret Service made the announcement as President Donald Trump was set to address the general assembly for the first time during his second term on September 23rd.
The device allowed anonymous, encrypted communications and allowed criminal organizations to operate undetected, McCool said.
The team, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the Director of National Intelligence and the New York Police Department, worked together in the investigation, McCool said. Investigators are currently working on analyzing data equivalent to 100,000 mobile phones.
“Early analysis shows cellular communication between foreign actors and individuals known to federal law enforcement,” McCool said.
The device poses no longer a threat, he said. The Secret Service did not announce any arrests in connection with the network.
