Police set up metal fences surrounding the headquarters of Prudential Financial, blocked off two streets, and armed themselves with assault rifles on Sunday after federal authorities warned of a possible terrorist attack on it and other financial institutions.
In New York, officials closed one of the major tunnels to commercial traffic headed into the city, and banned trucks from a bridge leading to lower Manhattan.
New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey asked the public to report suspicious activity but added, "we can't allow fear to dominate our lives."
In a government warning Sunday, the Prudential Financial Inc building in Newark was named as a target along with Citigroup Inc headquarters and the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, and the IMF and the World Bank buildings in Washington.
"This is not chatter," said Sid Caspersen, director of the New Jersey Office of Counterterrorism. "It was a long-term operations plan developed over months, perhaps years."
Newark police Detective Todd McClendon declined to offer specifics on security measures planned for the Prudential building, which stands 24 stories tall and is one of downtown Newark's highest structures.
"We'll just say that it is a significant increase of security," he said.
Employees at Citigroup, Prudential, the World Bank, the IMF and the New York Stock Exchange were expected to report to work as usual yesterday, officials said.
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