Navy Yard Response Reflects Tensions, Worries About Attacks
For two hours Thursday morning, it looked like the dire warnings of July 4th terror were coming true in Washington.
Police and ambulances swarmed the Washington
Navy Yard after a worker said she might have heard gunshots. It turned
out to be nothing, but authorities were quick to praise the woman for
reporting possible trouble.
And law enforcement experts say it amounts to a
dress rehearsal for the holiday weekend — a celebration of freedom that
could be fraught with skittishness, especially in Washington.
"Any incident that you see in our nation's
capital or you see in any major city across the country will frankly
receive a similar response this weekend," said Clint Van Zandt, a former
FBI profiler and an NBC News analyst.
American law enforcement is particularly
concerned with the terrorist group's aggressive recruiting through
social media and an ISIS spokesman's urging of supporters to attack during the holy month of Ramadan,
which ends July 17. The symbolism of American Independence Day, and
mass gatherings of people at fireworks displays in large cities as well
as threat of violence specifically targeting police and military
personnel, could be tempting, officials say.