In at least two capital cities — Turkey's Ankara and Belgium's Brussels — officials said they had disrupted plots to strike at New Year's Eve celebrations, The Washington Post wrote.
Turkish authorities said their festivities would go ahead as planned, despite detaining two suspected Islamic State militants believed to be planning suicide bombings. But Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur announced late Wednesday that the city had decided to cancel its fireworks celebrations due to a continuing threat. The decision followed the arrest of two people believed to be plotting a strike against revelers in the Belgian capital.
A fireworks show was also called off in Paris, though there will be a video display at the Arc de Triomphe that Mayor Anne Hidalgo said would send a message "Paris is standing, proud of its lifestyle and living together."
Fireworks displays were due to go ahead in other European cities, but with a much heavier security presence than usual. Vienna police said over the weekend that several European cities had been warned of a possible New Year's Eve attack, and that revelers in the Austrian capital would face tighter checks.
Thousands of police were due to be deployed for festivities in central London, though Mayor Boris Johnson said would-be revelers should not be deterred. "Get out there and soak up the best we have to offer," he said.
Authorities in Russia and China announced that high-profile gathering places — including Moscow's Red Square — would be closed for the evening. In India, local news agencies reported a possible New Year's Eve threat to the country's parliament building.
In cities across the United States, officials said no specific threats that had been uncovered, but there would be a greater police presence than in years past.
The precautions reflected a world rattled by the November attacks in Paris, which left 130 people dead, as well as the December killing of 14 people at an office party in San Bernardino, Calif. The Paris attacks are believed to have been directed by the Islamic State, while the group has claimed it inspired the couple behind the California killings.
In New York, security on Thursday was expected to be at its highest levels since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. More than 5,000 officers will be on patrol around the city, including a large contingent of specially trained counterterrorism officers who were activated this year. The contingent, known as the critical response command, will be armed with long rifles such as M4 carbines — a first for the city's New Year's Eve celebrations.
New York police officials said that aside from helicopters, traffic officers and canine units, officers would be sweeping the city with chemical and radiation detectors.
In Washington, officials said there would be additional police at popular gathering spots and on the Metro.
In Los Angeles, the annual Rose Bowl Parade will have more than two dozen law enforcement agencies providing security for the 700,000 spectators expected to attend.
Indian news agencies reported that the country’s parliament and prime minister, Narendra Modi, could be targeted in New Year’s Eve attacks. Security was strengthened across the capital, New Delhi. The reports specifically cited a threat from the outlawed terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
