NEW YORK (AP) — A former manager at the Sept. 11 memorial was fired for raising health and security concerns at one of the most security-conscious places in the world, he said in a lawsuit Friday.

Thomas Cancelliere maintained he was fired from his job as director of the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum in retaliation for alerting his bosses to numerous problems.

But a memorial spokesman called Cancelliere's claims untrue and said his firing was the result of bad performance on the job. He said Cancelliere was trying to leverage a large financial settlement.

"Tom Cancelliere was terminated because of his documented failure to live up to the performance standards of our organization ... We assure that the memorial is a safe, secure place," spokesman Michael Frazier said.

Cancelliere said he told his bosses of illness-causing bacteria in the memorial's signature fountains, too-narrow exit gates that could hinder an evacuation, and a lack of security checks at a public parking garage directly below the off-site room where the memorial's millions of visitors are screened.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Cancelliere's concern for the safety of visitors was not shared by his supervisors," who told him the issues weren't his responsibility or were being addressed, even though they weren't, his lawsuit said.

Cancelliere, 67, was fired last month

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