WASHINGTON - Iranian diplomats may have carried out “hostile reconnaissance’’ of sites in New York as many as six times, a warning sign that the city might be targeted for a terrorist attack, according to a police official.
The incidents occurred between 2002 and 2010 and involved videotaping or photographing landmarks, rail service, and bridges, said Mitchell Silber, director of the city police department’s intelligence analysis unit, in testimony before a House panel Wednesday.
Hezbollah, a militant group allied with Iran that has been designated a terrorist organization by the US State Department, also has ties to the New York region, he said.
“The city remains the most likely venue for global tensions with Iran to spill over onto American soil,’’ Silber said.
Tensions with Iran have increased over the country’s unwillingness to scale back its nuclear program.