The terrorist attacks of previous months still haunt many of us today asking the relevant question, how safe are we to go about our daily lives? Though there is no real assurance, we also cannot live a life of fear but we need to be vigilant and responsible citizens looking out for the welfare of all.
This call to be vigilant is even more pronounced as terror threats to the Mall of America and other malls in Canada and the United Kingdom have been made, prompting security officials to ask the public to be alert and aware of their surroundings.
A Somalia-based group called Al-Shabaab released a video on Saturday recounting the September 2013 Nairobi, Kenya mall attack they conducted where sixty or more people were killed. The group is encouraging similar assaults to be done naming specific areas such as the Mall of America located in Minnesota. Al-Shabaab is also responsible for the events in Kampala five years ago where more than 70 people were killed while watching the World Cup soccer match.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is on point in regards to these threats stating, "Any time a terrorist organization calls for an attack on a specific place, we've got to take that seriously. So through our intelligence bulletins, through working with state and local law enforcement, through working with the FBI, we take this kind of thing very seriously."
Though varied security agencies have expressed that there is no real danger to the threats made and there have been no confirmed intelligence on the plots stated, extra security measures have been placed in the areas that have been indicated in the video to ensure the safety of mall goers.
A spokesman for Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton stated that their office is keeping an eye on the situation while continuing to consult with local, state, as well as federal law enforcement officials to ensure the safety of citizens. Officials in Canada and the U.K. have been coordinating with their own law enforcement officials to ensure the safety of their respective areas.
The news of the attacks came in the advent of discussions regarding the funding for Homeland Security. As Johnson puts it, "the threats also show why I need a budget." And he further states, "It's absurd that we're even having this conversation about Congress' inability to fund Homeland Security in these challenging times."
