WASHINGTON, Oct 18: A nuclear plant in Pennsylvania was placed under tight security on Thursday in response to new security threats, an official said.

“There were new threats received for Three Mile Island,” said Rosetta Virgilio, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“Additional security steps were taken,” she said, adding “the heightened security remains in place.”

She said security was stepped up late Wednesday after federal law enforcement agencies learned of the threats.

Virgilio said she was unable to discuss the nature of the threats nor the security measures taken at the plant near the town of Harrisburg, which was the site of a serious nuclear accident in 1979.

However, she disclosed that the plant had been the target of previous threats, but they were “not credible threats.” —AFP