 Some U.S. counterterrorism officials cast doubt on the significance of the alleged plot and some authorities questioned first reports  that appeared in the New York Daily News, that terrorists sought to flood Lower Manhattan and the Financial District by bombing tunnels.They said there was no evidence that the plotters had taken any actions, such as buying explosives or sending money.Two U.S. counterterrorism officials, speaking to the Washington Post, discounted the ability of the conspirators to carry out an attack.