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Revealed: After Planes Hit Twin Towers, NYPD Executed 'Condition Omega'

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A New York Police Department report reveals the unprecedented operation to secure the city against further threats following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Details of “Condition Omega” are laid out in the report shared with Just the News by then-NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik.

Kerik prepared the report dated Sept. 27, 2001, to brief then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on the events that had occurred following the attacks by al-Qaida terrorists.

“Emergency response was immediate and massive,” the memo says.

“The NYPD was placed on Condition Omega; existing duty charts were suspended with uniformed personnel performing 12-hour tours of duty with regular days off suspended.”

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According to the document, New York was placed under an unprecedented lockdown after the attacks, with bridges to Manhattan closed except in emergency cases. Ferry services to and from Staten Island were also stopped.

Lower Manhattan was shut off to non-emergency personnel. All business was suspended, and those working in the area were evacuated.

NYPD personnel assigned to the scene of the attacks in the following days typically consisted of “approximately 1,100 police officers, 140 sergeants, 45 lieutenants, 27 captains, and 8 deputy inspectors,” the report says.

The National Guard, Army and Marines deployed troops to strengthen efforts to secure the city and respond to the crisis. The USS George Washington and a naval hospital ship were also sent to New York.

Over 2,500 bodies, including those of hundreds of police officers and firefighters, would eventually be recovered from the site of the collapsed twin towers of the World Trade Center, according to Just the News.

Kerik concluded the report with a poignant promise.

“Just as the finest steel sword is forged, tempered and strengthened by the scorching flame and heat of the furnace, shaped and edged under the repeated heavy blow of the hammer on the anvil, in similar fashion, the indomitable spirit of New Yorkers shall emerge from this firestorm stronger, keener and more resolute.

“Once again, our city will rightfully claim the position as the preeminent city of the world. May God Bless our nation, our city and the brave men and women of the NYPD.”

Kerik told Just the News that then-President George W. Bush promised him and Giuliani that the terrorists responsible for the carnage would be brought to justice.

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“When [Bush] met with the mayor and I, he was infuriated. … And he said to the mayor and I, ‘They’re going to be held accountable. I promise you, and you’re going to be the first to know.’ He says, ‘I’m going to call you when we’re going to do this.'”

Terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops nearly ten years later in Pakistan.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, bin Laden’s chief planner, was captured and is imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.

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News reporter and international affairs analyst published and syndicated in over 100 national and international outlets, including The National Interest, The Daily Caller, and The Western Journal. Covers international affairs, security, and U.S. politics. Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies candidate at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs
News reporter and international affairs analyst published and syndicated in over 100 national and international outlets, including The National Interest, The Daily Caller, and The Western Journal. Covers international affairs, security, and U.S. politics. Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies candidate at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @RealAndrewJose
Education
Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
Location
Washington, District of Columbia
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish, Tamil, Hindi, French, Russian
Topics of Expertise
International Politics, National Security, U.S. Politics




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