It turns out that the information that prompted New York City to increase security for the subway wasn’t entirely credible.

Sources within the Department of Homeland Security and FBI were skeptical of the information, which was provided by an Iraqi informant. But enough of the information checked out that Mayor Michael Bloomberg thought it necessary to put the city on a higher alert. When the date of the attack, Oct. 9, passed, the city started to pull back.

There have been conflicting statements from federal, state and local authorities over the legitimacy of the threat, which tells us that despite repeated terror alerts and poor communication in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the various levels of government are still having a tough time talking to one another.

In the final analysis, we may find that New York was too quick with its response to sketchy information, but as Bloomberg told The Associated Press, “If I’m going to make a mistake, you can rest assured it is on the side of being cautious.”

Intelligence about a potential terror attack will never reach the level of certainty. In the absence of a sure thing, Bloomberg was right. Better safe than sorry.