On Sunday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson urged shoppers at the Mall of America (Bloomington, Minn.) to be particularly cautious, after a terror group threatened the United States' largest indoor shopping center, Associated Press reports.
The warning comes after the release of a video Saturday, in which the Somalian al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabaab, called for attacks in Canada, the U.K. and the Minnesota shopping destination. While stopping short of telling visitors to avoid the mall during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Johnson said, “If anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they’ve got to be particularly careful.”
Enhanced security measures included extra Bloomington police officers, however, Bloomington Police deputy chief, Rick Hart, said that there is no “credible threat” against the mall at this time.
Gunmen from al-Shabaab attacked a shopping mall in Kenya in 2013, killing at least 67 people. Officials fear that the terror group could succeed in finding recruits in Minneapolis, which has the one of the largest Somali populations in the U.S., according to MSN.
“I’m sure security at the mall will be enhanced in ways visible and not visible,” Johnson told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “There needs to be an awareness” by the public as well, he said.
In an email statement, Mall of America spokesperson, Dan Jasper, said the mall has “implemented extra security precautions, some may be noticeable to guests, and others won’t be …. We will continue to follow the situation, along with law enforcement, and [we] will remain vigilant, as we always [have] in similar situations.”
Mall of America has more than 500 stores and attracts 40 million visitors per year and is owned by Triple Five Group (Edmonton, Alberta). Mall traffic appeared to be unaffected Sunday, according to MSN.