A telecommunications network posing a threat to senior United States officials at the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week has been “dismantled,” the Secret Service announced on Tuesday.
If successful, the network of electronic devices would have disabled cellphone towers and effectively shut down the cellular network in New York City. It would also have enabled denial of services attacks and facilitated anonymous, encrypted communications between threat actors and criminal enterprises.
The Secret Service says the plot no longer represents a threat to the New York tristate area.
“The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement. “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled.”
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Over 100,000 SIM cards and 300 colocated SIM servers were discovered across multiple sites within 35 miles of the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan.
After photos of the MobileX SIM cards recovered during the federal investigation circulated online, the mobile service said it actively shut down suspicious activity on its network.
“Like all wireless providers, we occasionally see bad actors attempt to misuse our services. Our technology and processes are specifically designed to detect and stop any misuse in order to protect both the network and legitimate customers,” MobileX CEO and Founder Peter Adderton told the Washington Examiner. “We are fully prepared to cooperate with the authorities should they reach out.”
The federal agency moved quickly to thwart the telecommunications threat, given that President Donald Trump and other high-ranking U.S. officials are attending the global meeting.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no arrests have been made.
The Secret Service led the investigation in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Justice Department, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the New York City Police Department.
In a video, Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool revealed foreign actors may have been communicating with people known to federal law enforcement based on early analysis. He declined to share further details, given the sensitivity of the investigation.
McCool said law enforcement would continue investigating whether the plot was designed to disrupt the U.N. meeting.
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NYPD officers are on high alert for threats amid the U.N. meeting, which coincides with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
Trump is set to deliver a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday morning as world leaders convene for the body’s 80th session. The U.S. is expected to stand by Israel amid its war with Hamas after Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and other allies have recognized a Palestinian state.
