They did very similar things in 2004, after recovering a laptop in Afghanistan with plans to attack several major NY buildings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20

They did very similar things in 2004, after recovering a laptop in Afghanistan with plans to attack several major NY buildings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_financial_buildings_plot#Plan_to_blow_up_financial_buildings_in_the_U.S https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_financial_buildings_plot#.... Note that these barriers are much less obtrusive than even a jersey barrier, this is something with which NYPD has plenty of experience in a very different light than the article