NEW YORK — A new ISIS video released Wednesday warns of an impending attack on New York City.
The video mentions Times Square and purports to show an explosive device being put together and a bomber zipping his jacket over a suicide belt.
The New York City Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the video and was deploying additional members of its new anti-terrorism squad out of an abundance of caution.
“While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target,” the statement said. “While there is no current or specific threat to the City at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance and will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelligence community to keep the City of New York safe.”
The video prompted a response from Mayor Bill de Blasio, who said police were “taking all necessary precautions” in areas shown in the video and throughout the city.
“Stoking fear is the goal of terrorist organizations, but New York City will not be intimidated,” he said.
Analysts believe the video contains a new message, but feel the footage is old and is nothing more than propaganda, according to law enforcement officials.
CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said authorities can’t ignore the video, whether or not it turns out to be a credible threat.
“I think they have to treat it quite seriously, because ISIS is the richest terrorist group in history. It has an extraordinary number of Western recruits. … One of its biggest ambitions right now is to a launch a terrorist attack inside the United States,” he said.
ISIS first drew international attention for taking over swaths of Iraq and Syria, leaving a trail of violence and destruction in its wake. And its efforts to bring terror to the global stage seem to be growing. This month alone, ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks, the downing of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt and a pair of suicide bombings in Beirut.
Earlier this week, another video released by ISIS threatened to strike Washington, D.C.
Authorities in the U.S. capital said they were stepping up security. The FBI said there was “no specific or credible threat to the United States.”
