ISIS video targets NYC but officials say no credible threat

Photo by: AP Police officers stand guard in Times Square, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2015, in New York. The New York Police Department says it's aware of a newly released Islamic State group video showing images of Times Square but says there's no current or specific threat to the city. (AP Photo/Michael Balsamo) prev next

New York’s Mayor William de Blasio and police Commissioner Bill Bratton — reacting to a chilling new Islamic State video that threatens a suicide bombing in Times Square — staged a late-night press conference in the iconic neon-lit city crossroads to insist the Big Apple “will not be intimidated.”

“It is the goal of terrorists to intimidate and disrupt our democratic society,” de Blasio said. “We will not submit to their wishes. The people of New York City as you can see right now are going about their business even at this late hour. I want to encourage all New Yorkers to continue to go about their business normally. It’s important to note, there is no credible and specific threat against New York City.”
De Blasio said he wants to “make very, very clear that the people of New York City will not be intimidated.”

The mayor added that the NYPD is adding 500 cops to counter-terrorism duty.

Bratton said all New Yorkers know their city — targeted in 1993 and 2001 by deadly terrorist attacks — is in the cross hairs of Islamic extremists.

“In New York we understand that we are a terrorist target. It reflects the importance of this city. Understanding that, this city places great importance on the safety of New Yorkers and the almost 60 million visitors who will come to this city,” the police commissioner, a Boston native, said.

“People can feel comfortable coming into the city, enjoying themselves,” Bratton said. “Celebrate. Be aware, but do not be afraid. The NYPD will protect you. ... We cannot be intimidated and that’s what terrorists seek to do. They seek to create fear. They seek to intimidate. We will not be intimidated and we will not live in fear. ... There is no city in America that is better prepared to defend and protect against a terrorist attack.”

Bratton also spoke dismissively of the video, saying, “It looks like it has been hastily produced. It is a mishmash of previously released video. We believe it is a compilation of videos.”

The video, with a musical soundtrack sung in French, talks about terrorists advancing “never to retreat” with images of a suicide bomber preparing to attack, with images of a T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant and footage of yellow cabs in Times Square, ending with the sound of an explosion.

An FBI statement earlier last night said: “We are aware of the reporting of ongoing terrorist threats to NYC, to include the newly-released ISIS video involving Times Square. These incidents reaffirm the message that New York City remains a terrorist target. While there is no specific articulable threat to the city at this time, the FBI NY JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force) continues to vigilantly work with NYPD and our other law enforcement partners to keep our community safe and fully investigate any threat information.”

The latest ISIS release comes on the same day Turkey’s state-run news agency said eight men arrived at the Istanbul airport from Casablanca, Morocco, and were interviewed by criminal-profiling teams and detained. One of the suspects, authorities say, had a hand-drawn picture of a planned route from Turkey to Germany, via Greece, Serbia and Hungary.

The round-up at the airport came hours after heavily armed police squads raided a suburban Paris apartment, where 27-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud — the suspected mastermind behind last week’s deadly gun-and-bomb attacks on a packed Paris concert hall, nightspots and the national soccer stadium — was believed to be hiding.

Authorities said the seven-hour police operation in Saint-Denis north resulted in eight arrests and the death of two suspects, including a female suicide bomber. It remains unclear whether Abaaoud was among those killed.

Several police officers were slightly injured during the raid, which began after officials say they gathered information from tapped telephone conversations indicating Abaaoud and his accomplices were holed up in the apartment and planning another terror attack.

Overnight raids by French police across the country resulted in 25 arrests and the seizure of 34 weapons. In all, French police have carried out 414 raids and made 60 arrests while seizing 75 weapons since Friday. The captured weapons include 11 military-style firearms, 33 rifles and 31 handguns.