The government initially protested about how the story was leaked to the New York Daily News. The Department of Homeland Security assured the public there "was never a concern that (the plot) would actually be executed". Although Meek had specifically said the Holland Tunnel was the target of the plot, authorities disputed this and said there had been "extremely vague" messages sent between online user accounts on a website they were monitoring.
The government initially objected to the story's leak to the New York Daily News. The Department of Homeland Security reassured the public about the lack of threat, despite Meek having specifically mentioned the Holland Tunnel as the target. Authorities disputed this and stated that they had received "extremely vague" messages from online accounts on a website under surveillance.