A pope threat? Officials question claim
WASHINGTON - A congressman's statement that agents had "disrupted" a potential threat against Pope Francis during his U.S. visit had Philadelphia officials scrambling for information Monday - and questioning the warning itself.
WASHINGTON - A congressman's statement that agents had "disrupted" a potential threat against Pope Francis during his U.S. visit had Philadelphia officials scrambling for information Monday - and questioning the warning itself.
The city's top police official and a key member of its House delegation said they had been reassured that the comments Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, made Sunday to ABC News were not about Philadelphia.
"If there was a threat, I would have been made aware," said Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, who said he had been briefed Friday by two top Secret Service officials.
Rep. Bob Brady (D., Pa.) said he also asked around Monday. "I talked to everybody I could talk to," he said. "Nobody knows what this guy's talking about."
McCaul's comments and reaction to them underscored the intense and still-building concern about the arrival and protection of the pope and as many as one million visitors in Center City.
In his interview with ABC's This Week, the six-term Republican said the government was monitoring threats against Francis, and he cited a classified briefing on the pontiff's trip to Philadelphia, New York, and Washington. "We have disrupted one case in particular, but as that date approaches, I think we're all very, being very vigilant to protect him as he comes into the United States," McCaul told the news program.
His remarks followed a question about a Florida man who had recently been charged with crimes related to encouraging a terrorist attack in Kansas City, Mo., on the anniversary of 9/11. McCaul did not elaborate in that interview and, through his office, declined to say more on Monday.
Two Philadelphia-area law enforcement sources told The Inquirer that a New Jersey teenager had been questioned in recent weeks about potential threats to the pope. The details of that inquiry were unclear, including when it occurred, whether investigators considered the teen a suspect, or if they found the potential threat credible.
Both sources downplayed the seriousness of that interview; one said the tip might not have warranted agents' attention had it not cited the papal visit.
On Monday, Brady sharply questioned McCaul's comments.
"Naturally, he alarmed a lot of people," the veteran Philadelphia Democrat said. "Why would he say something [from a classified briefing] on national TV? I don't understand that."
Brady works with the Capitol police as the top Democrat on the House's administrative committee and said he had heard nothing from that office regarding a threat to the pope, who will speak to Congress before arriving in Philadelphia. "If they put a barrier up because a dog is walking across, they call me," he said.
Other lawmakers said threats often accompany such high-profile events. "We would normally hear about these things after the fact," but with the speed of media now, sometimes information comes out earlier, said Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa.), a member of the Homeland Security Committee. "These type of things, with a visit of this magnitude, is quite honestly to be expected."
Perry said divulging details of the threat might hamper investigations, but he expressed confidence in the security plan and urged patience for those attending events in Philadelphia.
"The enhanced security may seem inconvenient to some people," said a statement from another member of the committee, Rep. Lou Barletta (R., Pa.). "But sadly the modern world requires it."
As to the supposed threat, a former U.S. Homeland Security official said talking about an incident after it has been disrupted would not cause trouble.
"Obviously you don't want people to be afraid, but you do want to have a healthy dose of caution," said Jack Thomas Tomarchio, who was principal deputy undersecretary for intelligence in the Homeland Security Department from 2005 to 2008. He now heads the Agoge Group in Wayne.
"The challenge," Tomarchio said, "is sifting the serious threats from the white noise threats, or the guys who are incompetent."
StartText
For full coverage of Pope Francis' visit, go to www.philly.com/popeEndText
INSIDE
StartText
Mark Wahlberg, saved by a priest, to host Festival of Families. B1.
Three new websites offer transportation alternatives and assistance. B1.
EndText
@JonathanTamari
Inquirer staff writer Michael Boren contributed to this article.