The U.S. Secret Service announced this morning the disruption of a sprawling, clandestine telecommunications network scattered across the New York tri-state area, a discovery officials say had the capacity to blind cellular communications and overwhelm emergency channels just as world leaders convened for the U.N. General Assembly.
Special Agent Matt McCool, who is in charge of the Secret Service’s New York Field Office, opened the announcement bluntly:
“Hello. My name is Matt McCool, and I’m the Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service New York Field Office. We are making this announcement as a matter of public interest, given timing, amount and concentration of material recovered during a recent Secret Service protective intelligence investigation.”
According to McCool, the case began months ago with threats against senior officials:
“Following multiple telecommunications-related imminent threats directed towards senior US government officials, this spring, the US Secret Service began a protective intelligence investigation to determine the extent and impact these threats could have on protective operations.”
The scale of what agents uncovered was massive.
“The investigation led us to the New York tri-state area, where investigators discovered tens of thousands of co-located and network cellular devices capable of carrying out nefarious telecommunications attacks. These devices allowed anonymous, encrypted communications between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises, enabling criminal organizations to operate undetected. This network had the potential to disable cell phone towers and essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City.”
The Secret Service’s official statement put numbers to that discovery:
“This protective intelligence investigation led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites. In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks.”
Fox News emphasized the proximity of the equipment to the world’s leaders:
“The devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City… While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement.”
McCool stressed the urgency of acting before the threat became operational:
“Given the timing, location, and proximity and potential for significant disruptions to the New York telecom system, we moved quickly to disrupt this network. To be clear, these recovered devices no longer pose a threat to the New York tri-state area.”
Fox 5 NY underscored how devastating the system could have been if activated:
“According to investigators, the network had the capacity to jam 911 calls, take down cell towers and cripple the city’s communication infrastructure at its most vulnerable moment… Agents say it was a sophisticated and costly operation, with millions spent on equipment and a capability to send up to 30 million messages per minute.”
The forensic work is still underway.
“We will continue working towards identifying those responsible and their intent, including whether their plan was to disrupt the UN General Assembly and communications of government and emergency personnel during the official visit of world leaders in and around New York City. Forensic examinations of the equivalent of 100,000 cell phones’ worth of data is underway. Early analysis indicates cellular communications between foreign actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement.”
And the director of the Secret Service, Sean Curran, emphasized the broader stakes:
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated. The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”
For now, officials stress the immediate danger has been neutralized.
“This is an open and active investigation, and we have no arrest to announce today. Rather, this announcement is designed to safeguard critical infrastructure and responsibly provide the public what we can at this time, the Secret Service will continue to run down all leads until we fully understand the intent of the operation and identify those responsible.”
The bust is a stark warning that modern attackers may aim not for buildings but for the invisible systems that keep cities talking, and this time, prevention appears to have worked.
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