We weren't ready.

[John]

Nadir Al-Hashim, Brahim Tawfiq and Suraya Samara would have been sat in the seats of their ninth generation Toyota Corolla for around seven hours now. They'd be coming to the end of their journey, along the I-80 E from Canton in Ohio. They'd be wearing thick coats, which would be odd due to the fact it was nearly summer time, however it wouldn't cause for much concern. Mister Samara would be sat in the back, just coming out of a nap due to the fact that they had been getting ready for this since the early hours of the morning. There would be an eerie silence in the car as they began to pull up on their final destination, which would be next to a sidewalk on Times Square in New York City - which would be bustling with tourists and locals alike. After pulling up along the sidewalk, they'd take a few minutes before stepping out of their vehicle, each carrying a sports bag and walked further into the crowd. Standing by the base of the New York Times Tower, they'd just wait..

A few moments later, they'd unzip their jackets and drop them to the floor, which would reveal that two of the men would be wearing Marom Dolphin BP Vest 3 A III - which are available to the public on the internet and at gun shows. Whilst the remaining male - Mister Tawfiq, would be wearing a suicide vest. It would take a few moments for the public to realise what was happening and by that time, the men had opened up their sports bag and dragged out their weapons. Al-Hashim was carrying a SIG Sauer SIG516 with a bump stock, Tawfiq with a Ruger SR-556 also with a bump stock and Samara with an Ithaca 37. Before the public had a chance to react and attempt to reach safety, the men began to pull the triggers and bullets begin to fly into the crowds of people. The cracks of gunshots rang around Times Square as more and more people fell victim to the shootings, as the crowds began to run a timed explosive that had been activated beneath the vehicle when it was switched off would go off. A white, blinding flash and a deafening crack would ring out as people who were running past would be thrown in all directions, being hit by shrapnel and other parts. Windows of shops and buildings in the immediate area would be smashed due to the size of the explosion. This had all happened within around fifty seconds, and by now calls to the police were being made - the first officers to respond were two from the PAPD who were at the Times Square–42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal. They'd rush to the scene with their Glock 19s drawn and take cover behind two vehicles with the men in sight. They'd aim over the top of the cars and begin returning fire when they could. It wouldn't be long before sirens rang out and three Chevrolet Impalas from the 14th Precinct, which was just down the road from Times Square, would turn up at the scene, again the officers would keep a safe distance and keep cover behind their vehicles.

The Gunmen would continue to fire as the crowds began to clear, dead and injured people lay in the streets as the sidewalks were stained in blood, more sirens would be ringing out as two Lenco BearCats from ESS-2 from Upper Manhattan came speeding down the road, as they join the other officers at the scene, the ESU members would disembark - clearly more equipped for the situation - wearing combat equipment and carrying CAR-15s. They'd take cover alongside the other officers and begin returning fire towards the gunmen, with the amount of firepower coming from the police. Brahim Tawfiq would be hit by a lucky shot, the bullet would enter in his neck and knock him down to the ground. When he hits the ground, he'd shout as loud as he could through his blood filled mouth. "ALLAHU ACKBAR" would be heard as he pressed the button on his suicide vest, detonating it and killing himself and the other two gunmen.

Once the dust and rubble had settled, the police began to move into the area to secure the scene, the city would be filled with sirens now as police, fire and EMS would begin to turn up at the scene. Fire crews would begin putting out any fires and help the EMS provide care to those who are injured, in the meantime news crews would begin to arrive at the scene to report on the situation.

 

[John]

It had been a little while since the attack in Times Square and by now, the whole area had been cordoned off by the NYPD and FBI - different types of agents would be on scene from the FBI, including SWAT members and CSI - who would be helping the NYPD with the investigation. The body count would be made official now, eighty two had been killed and a further one hundred and twelve had been injured. Most of them tourists, the nationalities were to be released to the public soon, after families had been informed and had time to find out what has happened during the situation. The bodies of the terrorists, or what was left of them, would be shipped off to the NYC FBI field office to be examined. Michael Bloomberg, the Mayor of New York, would have already stopped by the site to pay respects and congratulate the emergency services for their response to the situation, he would have also delivered a minor speech that the citizens of New York and the American people will not stand for terrorism on home soil - a statement which had been backed by the President.

The President was already in the PEOC with the majority of high-level government officials and the JCOS. Discussing the use of Public Law 107-40, which was passed in the early 2000's the authorise the use of the US military against terrorist organisations, obviously no plans had been properly set as no organisation had taken the blame yet or no blame had been set by the US government after investigation.

 

[Zak]

In hiding in Northern Spain, Josu Urrutikoetxea, the leader of the ETA militant group had praised the attackers for what had happened in New York and has called on further attacks around the world.

 

[Owen]

The Canadian Government would unequivocally condemn the attack and the Consulate-General in New York City would be looking into seeing if and how many Canadians were killed in the attacks. Prime Minister Trudeau would state that "the Canadian people stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their American neighbours and friends". The Canadian Border Services Agency would be placed on high alert for the possibility of terrorists from the United States attempting to enter Canada and vice versa. Appropriate Canadian security agencies including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would increase their intelligence collection on Islamic terrorist attacks in North America originating from the three emerging groups: al-Qaeda, Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya and Boko Haram.

 

[John]

With the admission of guilt from the leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, the FBI would be working overtime to verify the authenticity of the tape and whether they were the true perpetrators. The mens houses would have already been stormed by FBI SWAT teams and all electronic devices would have been taken, phones, computers and even gaming consoles - meanwhile their families would be taken away and separated apart from children with their mothers, so that they would be interviewed and investigated. Known terrorist chat logs would be getting monitored 24/7 to see if any chatter of the attack, or another planned attack would arise, the National Terrorism Advisory System would be raised from Elevated to Severe, allowing people to know about the possibility of another attack, meanwhile the list of nationalities of the dead would be released, after all families were notified:

• Fourty Three - American
• Eighteen - Canadian
• Nine - British
• Six - French
• Four - Argentinian
• One - Norwegian
• One - Chinese

 

[Odinson]

The Norwegian Embassy was soon able to confirm that 72 year-old Morten Jonassen was the Norwegian citizen who had died in the terrorist attack. This was privately transmitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government quietly offered to pay to have Mister Jonassen's body flown home to Norway, and also to cover the costs of the funeral. The following press release was issued:

KINGDOM OF NORWAY
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

The Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. has confirmed the American report that a Norwegian citizen was killed in the recent terrorist attack in New York City. The man was Morten Jonassen, a 72 year-old World War Two veteran who served in the Royal Navy and achieved the rank of Skvadronmester (Petty Officer First Class).

Skvandronmester Jonassen was a recipient of The War Cross for his extreme acts of heroism during the evacuation of the Norwegian Royal Family in 1940, his participation in the sabotage of Nazi efforts to produce heavy water in Norway, and for his exceptional acts of bravery as a resistance fighter. He was visiting New York City with his family, from Oslo, and in his final moments saved the life of his great-grandson. He is survived by his wife, Ragna Jonassen, their five children, sixteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Mister Jonassen's body will be lying in state at Oslo Cathedral on Monday. All are welcome to pay their respects.

Jakob Vinter
Minister of Foreign Affairs

 

[Owen]

The Canadian Consulate-General in New York City would be in contact with the New York City Coroner to determine who were the 18 Canadians that died. A full list would be released by the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.:

• Riley Carlson - Edmonton, Alberta
• Elijah Watson - Kelowna, British Columbia
• Ezra Beckman - Niagara, Ontario
• Barrett Jones - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
• Henry Eaton - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
• Ellis Currie - Toronto, Ontario
• Tanner Simmons - Toronto, Ontario
• Simon Moreau - Gatineau, Quebec
• Joshua Goulet - Montreal, Quebec
• Luke Walker - Vancouver, British Columbia
• Winston Lehmann - Toronto, Ontario
• Jordan Foster - Fredericton, New Brunswick
• Lachlan Lyle - Mississauga, Ontario
• Madeleine Clark - Fredericton, New Brunswick
• Lauren Davies - Calgary, Alberta
• Bryan Vanier - Montreal, Quebec
• Tristan Desormeaux - Quebec City, Quebec
• Juliette Talbot - Barrie, Ontario

Arrangements would be made between the Embassy and the NYC Coroner to return the bodies back to Canada and to their families. The Prime Minister would release a statement.

"Today, only a few days into my Prime Ministership I received the worst news any Prime Minister could receive. 18 Canadians have now been confirmed dead in the Times Square attack in New York City. My heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and loved ones of those who are lost and our Government is doing everything it can to return those bodies back to Canada and to their families. My Government will do everything in its power to ensure that Canadians are safe both here at home and abroad. I urge Canadians to continue to travel to the United States and across the globe and to not live in fear because otherwise the terrorists win and they achieve their goals. We cannot let that happen. They will not win and we will defeat them."