Following the release of an ISIS video showing extremists celebrating the Paris attacks and clipping together previous footage of a terrorist preparing to attack Times Square via suicide bomb, authorities in New York City promised uneasy citizens that officials were prepared to deal with any terror threat.
ISIS released the video just before the bustling city launches into full holiday mode. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place next week and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting happens December 2nd. Every year, New York City’s holiday festivities attract tens of millions of people.
During a press conference, Mayor Bill De Blasio emphasized that New Yorkers “should continue to go to work, live their lives, and enjoy the greatest city in the world,” while Police Commissioner William Bratton described the ISIS video as “hastily produced.”
Bratton added, “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.”
The video was released by the Furat Media Center – the media arm of ISIS. It features several men, some speaking in French and Arabic, celebrating ISIS and congratulating each other over the recent Paris attacks and issuing promises that the terrorist group will ultimately prevail.
The video also features French President Francois Hollande’s address to the world following the attacks – mixed in with footage of a previous ISIS video shot in New York City.
An ISIS militant is pictured saying that the attacks in Paris were just the beginning – just before showing images from Times Square. The video then cuts to an ISIS militant wearing a bomb vest – interspersed with footage of yellow taxi cabs and flashing billboards.
The video then ends with a message flashing across screen that reads: “and what is to come will be worse and more bitter.”
Despite the “footage” of the suicide bomber preparing to attack Times Square, none of the men in the video specifically mention an attack on the city.
Stephen Davis, spokesman for the New York City Police Department indicated that the agency is working with the FBI and intelligence community.
He stated that, “While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target. 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.”
