WPIX NEWSROOM

8:44 p.m. EDT, June 9, 2009
NEW YORK ( WPIX) -- In an attempt to prepare New York City for a potential terrorist attack, local authorities teamed up with federal agents Tuesday for a full-scale terror drill that simulated a surreal attack on the city.

A combination of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense, and the New York City Police Department staged the joint terrorism drill to primarily test the city's response to stopping a dirty bomb from entering the city.

The massive exercise involved 400 FBI employees and an additional 300 NYPD personnel. The Clearview Expressway in Queens, between exits 3 and 4 served as the mock environment for the drill that started at 9 p.m., lasting until 2 a.m.

A low-grade radiation device was built for the test, which officials say is safe but carries a similar gamma radiation signature as so-called dirty bombs, weapons that combine a conventional explosive with radioactive material.

The device was apparently hidden in a vehicle that traveled southbound on the Clearview Expressway, alongside drivers who were not knowing participants in the drill.

In the wake of the recent incident where a low-flying presidential plane sparked mass panic in Lower Manhattan, officials issued a warning hours in advance to surrounding communities with full disclosure of the terror simulation.

Refining the ability to detect the device and to bring in the proper response is the goal, officials told PIX News.

The drill will cost the city a few hundred thousand dollars and is part of the Securing the Cities initiative.