The Secret Service on Sept. 24 continued to withhold details about the Lower Hudson Valley’s potential connection to the high-profile discovery of a telecommunications network that could have been used to wipe out cell networks in New York City.
The federal agency in an email to USA TODAY Network declined to disclose if electronic safe houses allegedly used by the network were located in Westchester County.
A Secret Service spokesperson asserted the agency was “not able to confirm the specific locations where these devices were found,” citing an ongoing investigation. The statement noted the agency can confirm the devices “were in the New York tristate area, all concentrated within 35 miles of the UN General Assembly.”
The investigation grabbed national headlines Sept. 23 as the network was revealed as world leaders gathered in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly. CNN reported one of the alleged electronic safe houses used by the network was located in Armonk, Westchester County, citing unnamed officials briefed on the case.
USA TODAY Network New York has filed a public-records request for information related to Lower Hudson Valley connections to the case.
What we know about the Secret Service telecommunications network case in NY
An investigation was launched after “multiple telecommunications-related imminent threats” against senior U.S. government officials in the spring, said Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in New York.
“This network had the potential to disable cell phone towers and essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City,” McCool said.Investigators found more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards in the New York tri-state area, concentrated within 35 miles of the General Assembly meeting.
It’s not clear whether the devices were intended to disrupt the meeting and communications of world leaders, but the Secret Service said it moved quickly to dismantle the network given the timing and proximity of the threat. The network could have disrupted emergency communications, McCool added.
More: Secret Service says it foiled plot that could have caused cell phone blackout
The Secret Service made the announcement as President Donald Trump was set to address the General Assembly for the first time during his second presidential term on Sept. 23.
The devices allowed for anonymous, encrypted communication, which allowed criminal organizations to operate undetected, McCool said. The Secret Service did not announce any arrests in connection with the network.
Includes reporting by Jeanine Santucci of USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Secret Service withholds details on Westchester connection to NYC cell phone blackout plot
Reporting by Thomas C. Zambito, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
