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New York governor says World Cup prime target for drone attacks

New York Governor Kathy Hochul demanded on Monday that President Donald Trump boost federal defenses to combat drone attacks. She said events such as the World Cup and U.S.250th Anniversary celebrations were "prime targets."

She said that the New York area would be a focal point for many high-profile events next summer. These include the World Cup, the flotillas of Tall Ships and International Naval Review as well as the largest Macy's ever fireworks show.

Hochul wrote in a Monday letter to Trump that "we need a comprehensive federal policy which not only improves the detection of drones at a national level, but also offers robust and multi-layered mitigation strategies."

She said that the government must do more to protect "critical infrastructure" such as population centers, utilities and military assets.

Hochul called on the White House to act, citing several incidents that occurred last year as well as the increasing use of drones during the conflict in Ukraine and in other trouble spots in the world.

The White House made no immediate comment. The White House did not immediately comment.

The FIFA World Cup Final will take place on July 19, 2026 in East Rutherford New Jersey, approximately 13 miles away from New York City.

Hochul stated that an attack on New York's strategic military infrastructure and critical infrastructure poses a grave danger to the United States. The federal government is not prepared and is poorly positioned to detect and mitigate drone threats. States are also hampered by a lack in legislative authority, and by actions by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Michael Kratsios of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said last month that Trump is also looking to deal with the "growing threat of terrorists and foreign misuse of UAVs in U.S. airspace." airspace."

He stated that the country is "securing its borders from national security threat, including in airspace, with large public events like the Olympics and World Cup on horizon."

Los Angeles will be hosting the Olympics during the summer of 2028. (Reporting and editing by David Shepardson)

(source: Reuters)