Authorities investigating alleged terrorist threat against island power grid
By The Star Staff
Authorities confirmed on Monday that they are investigating an alleged terrorist threat against Puerto Rico’s electrical system, which was received from New York.
Puerto Rico Police Bureau Commissioner Antonio López Figueroa said the alleged threat received through the New York 911 emergency system on Nov. 22 is under investigation.
The police chief said a security plan was established, which includes surveillance of the island’s various electrical network facilities, which belong to the state-owned Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and are controlled by the private consortium LUMA Energy.
Regardless of where a terrorist threat originates, López Figueroa said, the police take threats seriously “in order to prevent any incident that threatens the stability of the system on which all citizens in Puerto Rico depend.”
LUMA Energy said that any threat to the power grid is taken seriously, so it works with federal and local authorities to address any risk to the electrical system. The contract with LUMA Energy expired Tuesday, but Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia said it is slated to be extended.
Homeland Security Investigations, which is the primary investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI are leading the investigation.
The news was announced after hundreds of people protested on Sunday in front of La Fortaleza to demand the nonrenewal of the island government’s contract with LUMA Energy, which the governor has defended.