New York on Alert, Flight 93 Memorial Honors Deceased as 9/11 Anniversary Nears

Meanwhile, the 40 passengers who fought back against hijackers aboard Flight 93 that was crashed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, killing all on board, were honored Saturday as ordinary people forced to rise to as heroes in taking the plane down so that it could not be flown into a target, as terrorists desired.

"(Terrorists) never made it because of the determination and valor of the passengers and crew of Flight 93, that plane crashed in this field, less than 20 minutes by air" from Washington, D.C., where it appeared to be headed, said Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service.

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The ceremony, colored by tight security, is the first phase of a memorial at the newest U.S. national park -- the site of the Flight 93 crash in Shanksville, Penn.

A bell rang during the service Saturday as each name among those who perished was read amid gray skies and a somber tone. Former Presidents Bush and Bill Clinton joined Biden and family members of those who died in the Flight 93 crash in the audience during the memorial service.

In New York, one day ahead of a memorial event to be attended by President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush, in office during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack, police cruisers were in position at key traffic locations, stopping trucks and other vehicles for inspection. Also, officers were in visible force at major transportation centers in New York, including Penn Station, and near the World Trade Center.

"We have already had a full complement of people working shifts because of the Sept. 11 anniversary prior to this," Jim Margolin, a spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's New York office, told Bloomberg. "We are taking the logical investigative measures to assess this threat."

The AP reported on Saturday, however, that as police and FBI agents remain on alert while investigators search for proof of a plot against Washington or New York, that there's no evidence that anyone related to al-Qaida has entered the country. The officials quoted insisted on anonymity, the AP reported.

Officials have been searching for evidence or individuals related to a tip that al-Qaida might have sent three men to the U.S. to detonate a car bomb on or around the 9/11 anniversary.

On Friday, Vice President Joe Biden said Friday the first "active plot" timed to coincide with the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of al-Qaida's deadly attack on America is a "real threat."

Appearing on CBS' "The Early Show," Biden said intelligence investigators are following every possible lead in the attempt to diffuse the threat. Biden said, however, that Americans should be on alert as the 10th anniversary commemorative event nears on 9/11.

"People should be alert, they should not alter what they're doing," he told CBS, noting "we have significant security, local police and federal agencies working on this."