The terrorist group al Shabaab has called for attacks on U.S. shopping malls, singling out the Mall of America near Minneapolis.
The group, which takes credit for a 2013 Nairobi, Kenya, mall terrorist attack that killed more than 60 people, issued a taped statement this weekend that also called for attacks on malls in the United Kingdom and Canada.
“I would say that if anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they’ve got to be particularly careful,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He said the there would be “enhanced security” at the mall this weekend but would not elaborate.
At a time when where terrorist organizations are calling on independent actors to carry out violent attacks, “public vigilance, public awarereness and public action [are] particularly important,” Johnson said. He mentioned the “If you see something, say something” awareness campaign.
The video includes images of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., and its latitude and longitude coordinates. A man wearing a camouflage jacket, his head shrouded in a checkered cloth, speaks to the camera.
“If just a handful of mujahedeen fighters could bring Kenya to a complete standstill for nearly a week then imagine what a dedicated mujahedeen in the West could do to the American or Jewish-owned shopping centers across the world?” the speaker asks, according to the Pioneer Press.
“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? … What would be the implications of such an attack? One could only imagine. And all it takes is a man with firm determination … so hurry up, hasten towards heaven and do not hesitate.”
Al Shabaab has links to al Qaeda, but Johnson said he suspects that groups such as al Shabaab, al Qaeda and the Islamic State are now competing with each other for public attention, fundraising and recruitment.
“We take any potential threat seriously and respond appropriately,” Mall of America said in a statement, reported by CNN. “We have implemented extra security precautions, some may be noticeable to guests and others won’t be.”
Al Shabaab, whose name means “the children” in Arabic, originated in Somalia. The Minneapolis area has one of America’s largest populations of people from Somalia.
Asked by CNN host Gloria Borger how seriously he was taking the Mall of America threat, Johnson said, “Anytime a terrorist organization calls for an attack on a specific place, we’ve got to take that seriously.”
