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New York, Boston and other cities in the United States bolstered security on Friday night after deadly gun and bomb attacks on civilians in Paris, but law enforcement officials said the beefed-up police presence was precautionary rather than a response to any specific threats, Reuters reported.
The New York Police Department said officers from its Counterterrorism Response Command and other special units were deployed in areas frequented by tourists, and at the French Consulate in Manhattan.
"Teams have been dispatched to crowded areas around the city out of an abundance of caution to provide police presence and public reassurance as we follow the developing situation overseas," the NYPD said in a statement.
New York, the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and destroyed the World Trade Center's twin towers, is considered a top target for potential attacks by Islamist militants. The top of the Empire State Building and the spire at One World Trade Center were lit up Friday night with blue, white and red, the colors of the French flag.
The nearly simultaneous gun and bomb attacks in Paris killed at least 120 people in various places across the French capital and wounded many others
The NYPD did not say how many extra officers were sent to guard the areas of concern nor did it specify the areas where the extra officers were sent.
"Every time we see an attack like this, it is a reminder to be prepared, to be vigilant," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told ABC 7 television.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he directed state law enforcement officials to monitor the Paris situation for any implications for New York state and to remain in constant communication with their local and federal partners.