Mayor Adams says NYPD is bracing for potential anti-Israel disruptions, terrorist actions during New Year's Eve in Times Square

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that there will be a heightened police presence for New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square in preparation for potential protests in relation to the Israel-Hamas war.

This after the city has seen more than 500 pro-Palestinian demonstrations since the war broke out, including the disruption of multiple Christmas events, the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and the notable Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting service.

Because of this, Mayor Adams said during a press conference that the city is prepared to take extra security measures on New Year's Eve to thwart any potential protests and terrorist action, according to CBS News.

"We're sure there's gonna be some type of attempt this year," Adams said, speaking on the probability of seeing protest disruptions in Times Square, according to the outlet.

Mayor Adams remarked that ensuring everyone's safety comes at a challenge in light of the city's settlement of a lawsuit earlier this year that alters the manner in which law enforcement can respond to large-scale demonstrations. Adams, a former NYPD officer, believes that the NYPD is now at a disadvantage.

"It's a real Herculean task to manage that number of people without being heavy-handed but being protective," Adams said. "The police department has to be extremely more hesitant in actions that they would've carried out in the past to keep the peace."

Mayor Adams said that there will be thousands of NYPD officers patrolling in and out of uniform, in addition to private security and federal authorities also patrolling the scene.

Last year, three NYPD officers were attacked by a tourist with a machete on New Year's Eve in Times Square. Adams doesn't want to see a repeat of this and said that the department is analyzing its response from last year in order to strengthen its strategies for similar threats.

"There's something that's known in policing, particularly when there's terrorist action of secondary devices and things like they want to draw attention from one area to another. We're really exercising our mental muscles to make sure that does not happen," Adams said.

Richard Esposito, a former NYPD deputy commissioner, said that the department has a "variety of tools" on hand whether that be "robots, drones, bomb-sniffing dogs."

"They're gonna be on alert for something different than we've had in the past, but they are mostly concerned that the people who go out, enjoy their night, and they want to keep the protests and the freedom of speech from interfering with other people's freedom of enjoying themselves," said Esposito, according to CBS News.

By midday on New Year's Eve, the entire vicinity surrounding Times Square will be shut down. Anyone attempting to enter the area by the time the festivities begin will therefore have to pass through multiple police and security checkpoints.

Tom Harris, president of the Times Square Alliance, said: "If you're going to come and try to disrupt the event, you're probably not gonna be successful, and if you are, you're gonna be arrested, so stay home and protest someplace else."

While the city is preparing for demonstrations and any threats that may arise, the New York Police Department said that there have been no credible threats as of yet and mentioned there will be another press conference ahead of the world-famous countdown.