Iraq’s intelligence has intercepted Islamic State plans to attack the subway systems of Paris and New York. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said he had received the information from militants captured in Iraq, however U.S. officials said they had no evidence to back these claims.

Mr. Adabi revealed this information when he met with a group of U.S. reporters in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. “They plan to have attacks in the metros of Paris and the United States,” he said. “I asked for more credible information. I asked for names. I asked for details, for cities, you know, dates. And from the details I have received, yes, it looks credible.” When further questioned he said that he wasn’t sure if the attacks were imminent but said they hadn’t been thwarted.

United States National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that the White House had no information for a plot such as the one described by Mr. Abadi. “We have not confirmed such a plot and would have to review any information from our Iraqi partners before making further determinations,” she said.

Iraqi PM Haider Al-Abadi and US President Barack Obama at the U.N. General Assembly

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the city’s authorities had already begun to strengthen security at New York’s mass transit sites even before the Iraqi prime minister’s statements. The New York Police Department is in close contact with the FBI and other agencies in order to assess the threat.

French security services also said they had no information concerning Mr. Abadi’s statements. This did not stop the French government from announcing decisions to step up anti-terrorist security measures across the nation on Thursday evening. It extended the number of countries that French citizens were advised to avoid.