(NewsNation) — Security at New Year’s Eve celebrations across the United States and around the world will include an enhanced police presence and security measures amid possible threats of violence.
From Times Square in New York City to Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, officials are taking extra precautions to protect revelers ushering in 2026 on Wednesday.
Major U.S. cities such as Chicago are considered “attractive targets” for possible plots, officials say, while in Los Angeles, a plan for bombings at several locations around the nation’s second-largest city was foiled by federal agents.
Investigators were able to stop what federal agents called “Operation Midnight Sun,” in which four suspects were allegedly planning violence at several locations around Los Angeles.
Advanced planning has begun for New Year’s events aimed at eliminating any potential threats associated with large-scale events. Additional fencing has been placed around Times Square, where New York City authorities say additional security measures will be in place for the annual ball drop.
Security in the Big Apple will include counterterrorism units, K-9 officers, bomb squads and heavy weapons teams— all supported by drones, helicopters and a network of cameras.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and outgoing Mayor Eric Adams say there are currently no credible threats to the Times Square celebration.
Meanwhile, international events in Sydney, Tokyo, Paris and Belgrade have been scaled back amid concerns that those locations could be targeted for potential terror threats.
Tisch said that authorities will monitor social media for possible threats and deploy response teams around the city to investigate any threats.
New Orleans officials are also adding security measures nearly a year after a Jan. 1 terror attack in which 14 people were killed and dozens more were injured after a driver rammed his car onto a busy street.
National Guard troops authorized to be deployed to New Orleans by President Donald Trump began patrolling local streets on Tuesday in anticipation of what is expected to be a busy New Year’s Eve celebration.