Homeland Security chief: Be 'vigilant' at mallsPosted: 2015-02-22 David Jackson and John Bacon, USA TODAY11:03 a.m. EST February 22, 2015
The secretary of Homeland Security on Sunday warned shoppers at Minnesota's iconic Mall of America and similar venues to be vigilant in the wake of new terrorist threats.
"I'm not telling people to not go to the mall," Secretary Jeh Johnson said on NBC's Meet The Press. "I think that there needs to be an awareness."
He also said, "I'm saying that the public needs to be particularly vigilant."
Mall of America says it has heightened security after a video threatening a terror attack was apparently released by a Somali militant group with ties to al-Qaeda. The group, al-Shabaab, previously took responsibility for the 2013 attack at the Westgate shopping mall Nairobi, Kenya, that left more than 60 people dead.
Johnson, who made appearances on five Sunday shows, said the threat reflects the fact that foreign groups are encouraging local supporters to conduct attacks in their homelands.
"We're in a new phase now, and I'm afraid that this most recent video release reflects that," Johnson said on ABC's This Week.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Sunday saying U.S. officials were aware of the call for 'Westgate style' attacks against shopping malls in the U.S. and elsewhere.
The statement said Homeland Security and the FBI has been working closely with state and local authorities in recent months to "prevent and mitigate these types of threats."
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