A video purported to be made by Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked rebel group al-Shabaab urged Muslims to attack shopping malls in the US, Canada, Britain and other Western nations.
US authorities said there was “no credible” evidence suggesting a US mall attack was in the works.
The threat by the al-Qaeda affiliate came in the final minutes of a more than hour-long video released on Saturday in which the extremists also warned Kenya of more attacks like the assault on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in September 2013 when 67 people were killed.
The masked narrator concluded by calling on Muslims to attack shopping malls, specifically naming the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as well as the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the Westfield Mall in Stratford, England.
The authenticity of the video could not be immediately verified by The Associated Press.
The FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided local law enforcement agencies and private sector partners with “relevant information regarding the recent al-Shabaab propaganda video,” department press secretary Marsha Catron said in a statement.
“However, we are not aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center,” Catron said.
The Bloomington Police Department said additional security measures had been put in place at the Mall of America, one of the largest malls in the nation.
Speaking on CNN, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson called the video “the new phase” of the global terrorist threat and warned the public to be vigilant.
“These groups are relying more and more on independent actors to become inspired, drawn to the cause and they’ll attack on their own,” Johnson said. “I am very concerned about serious potential threats of independent actors here in the US. We’ve seen this now in Europe, we’ve seen this in Canada.”
Asked about the specific threat against the Mall of America, Johnson said: “Any time a terrorist organization calls for an attack on a specific place we’ve got to take that seriously. What we’re telling the public is you’ve got to be vigilant... There will be enhanced security there that will be apparent, but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important.”
In the video posted online, a masked man, his face wrapped in a black-and-white kaffiyeh-type scarf and wearing a camouflage jacket, said: “Westgate was just the beginning.”
The video included footage from major news organizations showing the assault on the mall and said it was in reprisal for alleged abuses by Kenyan troops against Muslims in Somalia.
“What if such an attack were to occur in the Mall of America in Minnesota, or the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, or in London’s Oxford Street?” said the man, who spoke with a British accent and appeared to be of Somalian origin.
The Mall of America said in a statement that it was “aware of a threatening video, which includes a mention and images of the mall,” and said extra security had been put in place.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton was monitoring the situation and has been in regular contact with the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which is coordinating with federal and local law enforcement agencies and the Mall of America “to assure the safety of all Minnesotans,” a statement released by the governor’s press secretary Matt Swenson said.
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
CYBERSCAM: Anne, an interior decorator with mental health problems, spent a year and a half believing she was communicating with Brad Pitt and lost US$855,259 A French woman who revealed on TV how she had lost her life savings to scammers posing as Brad Pitt has faced a wave of online harassment and mockery, leading the interview to be withdrawn on Tuesday. The woman, named as Anne, told the Seven to Eight program on the TF1 channel how she had believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star, leading her to divorce her husband and transfer 830,000 euros (US$855,259). The scammers used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as artificial intelligence image-creating technology to send Anne selfies and other messages
RSS