It can't be understated what this system is capable of doing," said Matt McCool, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service's New York field office. "It can take down cell towers, so then no longer can people communicate, right? .... You can't text message, you can't use your cell phone. And if you coupled that with some sort of other event associated with UNGA, you know, use your imagination there, it could be catastrophic to the city."
The Secret Service said on Tuesday that it had uncovered and dismantled a covert, high-tech operation in the New York area, which had the capability to disrupt cellular networks. The discovery came as international leaders were preparing to attend the annual United Nations General Assembly nearby, the New York Times reported. Authorities revealed that the hidden communications system included over 100,000 SIM cards and 300 servers. It was designed to allow anonymous, encrypted messaging and had the potential to interfere with emergency communication services.