3 arrested in New York’s Holland Tunnel with loaded rifles, body armor - report

Three people were arrested with several loaded pistols, rifles and bullet-resistant vests in a the Holland Tunnel that connects New Jersey to New York City, NBC 4 New York reported. Police initially stopped them for driving with a cracked windshield.

The three individuals were traveling to New York on Tuesday, but were stopped around 7:40 a.m. on the New Jersey side of the tunnel. A search of their vehicle revealed the cache of the combat gear, which a police photograph showed including a shotgun, a scoped rifle, knives, multiple pistols and several ammunition magazines.

Drugs were also recovered from the vehicle, authorities said.

Police described said that the arrested individuals were two men aged 50 and 53 and 29-year-old woman, and that they may be from Pennsylvania, NBC 4 New York reported.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting in the investigation, a source told NBC4. However, law enforcement officials told the network that the three suspects are "gun enthusiasts,” and that there is no terror threat.

Investigators are looking into whether the suspects were planning to shoot a rival drug dealer, the source said.

The Holland Tunnel travels under the Hudson River, connecting Jersey City, New Jersey to Manhattan, New York. It is one of the main conduits of the New York Metropolitan Area, with nearly 100,000 automobiles passing through it every day.

The FBI's field office in New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have not yet responded to RT's request for comment.