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Secret Service Shuts Down Telecom Threat Near UN in NYC
Sep 23, 2025
A covert network of devices capable of shutting down cell service was dismantled in New York near the UN General Assembly. Federal agents say the devices could have disabled cell towers and shut down the cellular network in NYC. The investigation is ongoing. #SecretService #NewYork #Telecom #Security #UNGeneralAssembly
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The Secret Service has dismantled a
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telecommunications threat right here in
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the New York State tri-state area.
0:06
All right, we're breaking it down this
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morning with Good Day wakeup banker Dan
0:09
Bones. What do you know so far?
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Well, Rosanna and Kurt, some security
0:12
experts are saying they've never seen a
0:15
network as extensive as this before. And
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this morning, the Secret Service
0:19
revealing a major security bust right
0:21
here in New York. a covert network of
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devices capable of shutting down cell
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service right as the UN General Assembly
0:29
is underway. Unclear if those two things
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are connected, but it is a possibility.
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And we have brand new images into our
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newsroom this morning. These are the
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devices federal agents say could have
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disabled cell towers and essentially
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shut down the cellular network in New
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York City. That's worth repeating.
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Federal agents this morning announcing
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they located multiple devices capable of
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shutting down cell service in the city.
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Massive implications of course. Here are
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the details as we know them. Inside
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several locations, agents found
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thousands of networked cellular devices.
1:02
That's how they describe them.
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Concentrated within 35 miles of the UN
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General Assembly, of course, now
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underway here in New York. President
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Trump in the city this morning.
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Officials say the system allowed
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anonymous encrypted communications
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between criminal and foreign actors and
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could have caused massive disruption to
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government and emergency communications.
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Some experts say this network could have
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sent as many as a million text messages
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a minute, potentially disrupting all
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kinds of issues here. The special agent
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in charge of the Secret Service New York
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Field actually put out a video just a
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few minutes ago. And take a look at what
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he says here. This network had the
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potential to disable cell phone towers
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and essentially shut down the cellular
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network in New York City. These devices
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were concentrated within 35 miles of the
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global meeting of the United Nations
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General Assembly now underway in New
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York City. Given the timing, location,
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and proximity and potential for
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significant disruptions to the New York
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Telecom system, we move quickly to
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disrupt this network.
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And again, that is the special agent in
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charge of the New York field office of
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the Secret Service. So, how did this all
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start? The Secret Service says the
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investigation actually began in the
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spring. So, a couple months ago, after
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what they described as imminent
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telecomun telecommunications threats
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were directed at senior US officials.
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Well, with the help from federal, state,
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and local partners, including the NYPD,
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the network was traced to the tri-state
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area. a forensic examination of data
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equivalent to about a 100,000 cell
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phones now underway. What does that
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means? It means they're taking a look at
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a 100,000 cell phones trying to get to
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the bottom of this thing. The early
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analysis showing links between foreign
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networks and individuals already known
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to federal law enforcement. Now, at this
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point, we want to emphasize no arrests
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have been announced. Possible they could
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have happened, not yet been made public.
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The agency calls this an open and active
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investigation. Again, just to recap,
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because I know it's a lot of information
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that we're giving you here, the Secret
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Service dismantled a massive hidden
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telecom network near the United Nations,
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near New York City that could have
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crippled New York cell service. And now
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investigators are racing to find out who
3:09
built it and then why they built it.
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Curtain Rosenna, back over to
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