New York City police are planning to swarm the Big Apple's holiday markets Friday after a suspected terrorist attack left at least two people dead and dozens injured at a German Christmas market.
Additional officers will be patrolling the market “out of an abundance of caution and to ensure people's safety,” Rebecca Weiner, deputy director of the NYPD's counterterrorism and intelligence division, said in an interview. ABC 7 New York.
“This is a very festive time, a very busy time in the city, and we work to make sure that all holiday markets, all holiday activities are protected…so New Yorkers are You will see an increased police presence around you,” she told the station.
Tourists visiting the Bryant Park Holiday Market on Friday night welcomed the increased police presence.
“While I was here, I saw a lot of NYPD in the city, so it made me feel a little bit safer,” Sharon Ramon, 42, of Vermont, told the Post.
“Even if there's not a police officer next to me right now, there's always one a block or two away.”
She said she was horrified to hear about the attacks in Germany, but that won't stop her from buying Christmas presents.
“No one expected that to happen at that holiday market, just like anywhere else.”
Robin Phillip, 30, who was visiting from Atlanta, echoed similar sentiments.
“I feel safe here,” he said.
“I have a family, and as long as they feel safe, that's fine.”
He called the German massacre “terrible.”
“But I couldn't imagine that happening here.”
The New York Police Department stressed there is nothing linking the German attack to New York City.
“We want to reassure New Yorkers that we will protect our infrastructure and events during what we all hope is a calm, happy and healthy holiday season,” Weiner said.
The announcement came hours after a 50-year-old Saudi doctor burst through a busy market in Magdeburg, attacking a crowd of several hundred people, local officials said.
His name has not yet been revealed.
