Al-Shabaab branches out, calls for attacks on U.S. soil
“Do we believe Al-Shabaab is sending operatives to the U.S.? No.”
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson is calling for “awareness” in the wake of threats made against the Minneapolis-based Mall of America.
Late yesterday, Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab released a video calling for terror attacks on malls in the US, Canada, and the UK. Although there is no specific threat, officials are still urging caution, and high-profile shopping centers are upping their security presence.
Another U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the situation also told CNN that there is no actual working threat against any mall in the country and added that no one should avoid going to the mall because of the online threat.
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In its new video, Al-Shabaab calls for similar attacks on malls in the three Western countries. Al-Shabaab identified specific malls, but CNN will not list them unless they respond publicly.[FBI spokesman Rich] Quinn told CNN that “there is no doubt Al-Shabaab would like to carry out an attack on a U.S. mall, but they are in a pretty weakened state.”
The “bigger danger is their ability to inspire homegrown violent extremists inside the U.S. who might see this propaganda and decide to act,” Quinn said.
“Do we believe Al-Shabaab is sending operatives to the U.S.? No,” he said.
This particular type of threat dovetails with al-Shabaab’s history of attacks closer to their home base in Somalia. Back in 2013, the group launched a 4-day attack against an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya that left over 60 people dead and still serves as a legacy moment for al-Shabaab. Even now, the group uses similar threats to shopping malls and other public places as a way to create an atmosphere of fear in areas they hope to control (or use to send a message to their enemies.)
Because there’s no specific, active threat against a particular location, property owners are acting at their own discretion; for example, the Mall of America is upping their security both on the ground and in the background, where patrons won’t notice. But the threat is shining light on the ongoing battle in Congress to continue DHS funding without opening the door to Obama’s executive amnesty.
Johnson’s interviews on several Sunday morning U.S. news shows aired five days before funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to lapse. Such an event would trigger a shutdown of non-essential agency operations unless Congress enacts new funds. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner want to use a spending bill to force President Barack Obama to reverse his orders shielding undocumented immigrants from being deported.
On Monday, McConnell will try for a fourth time to advance a House-passed Homeland Security spending bill, H.R. 240, that would require Obama to abandon the immigration action he announced in November.
Democrats have blocked the measure three times. They say Congress should fund Homeland Security, which is responsible for immigration and border enforcement, without setting new limits on immigration policy. Democrats have said they are holding firm in defense of the president’s policies.
Will the fourth time be a charm? We’ll see.
Until then, be safe out there.
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Comments
Get the funding bill out — make President Obama veto it.
It’s a spending bill, so they can pass it with the same method used to pass Obamacare.
It’s one thing to ruin some vacations by chaining up the national parks to make a political point. Shutting down national security in a temper tantrum because Republicans won’t rubber stamp his new immigration policy will not fly.
Please remember, if this budget doesn’t pass, only NONessential employees don’t go to work.
DHS includes Customs and Border Protection
ICE
Citizenship and Immigration Services
TSA
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
FEMA
Science and Technology Directorate
Here’s the list: http://www.dhs.gov/who-joined-dhs
It’s not the FBI, it’s not the military, it’s not any of that.
So, frankly, if ICE and CBP aren’t going to do their jobs anyway, I’d be just as happy to have them and the TSA shut down. Training center? They can take a vacation to save the republic.
Legally, sure. Just like not passing the budget last time didn’t mean that the national parks would close. But they were closed anyway.
That was on Obama. And everyone knows he was being vindictive.
Let him show how small he is again.
Let the tyrant show his character.
And worse, the House of Repersenatatives passed a bill carving out the parks, and most things that Democrats pointed out, but, with two exceptions, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid treated those blls as if they didn’t exist.
Everyone playing this kind of politics is aware that they can be made to look more unreasonable if the wrong thing is held hostage. The Republicans have put themselves in aposition of looking very unreasonable, even though nothing much will be actually shut down.
Most of what Citizenship and Immigration Services does is funded by user fees, and would not be shut down.
Al Shabaab doesn’t need to send operatives to the US or Canada, plenty of local wannabes to use.
That’s what the video says.
They are announcing things well before they have any plots ready, maybe because they might lose the ability to communicate.
Because Somali terrorists have never tried to bomb a mall in the US…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Shopping_Mall_bombing_plot
Note how the below article never was followed up on what the ‘suspicious package’ was.
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2008/04/12/tuttle.html
Compare it to this article 4 years later. Note how the second article tells us what the false alarm package is http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/07/26/columbus-eastland-mall-evacuated-suspicious-package.html
Why so coy? PJ Media lists them. They have a much more detailed account than the lapdog media have.
If you only get your “news” from Bloomberg and CNN, you’re missing a lot.
They just might be surprised at the unintended consequences resulting from interrupting American women shopping.
What we need, are more mayors like the mayor of Jerusalem 🙂
VIDEO: Jerusalem Mayor Takes Down Knife-Wielding Terrorist
When the MOA opened, it was estimated that over 40-million would visit it in a year’s time. TTBOMK, that estimate has been met annually.
What the Islamists hope is that their threats will result in major cut reduction in the number of MOA customer visits.
Sure, they would love to be able to do an actual attack but a large scale Mumbai attack probably is not doable; don’t really know how committed the local Somali community to fending off the Jihadi’s. A number (Somewhat small?) that gone back to Somalia for Jihad there.
Yet, a small one or two person attack would really harm MOA businesses, and that’s a doable event; God help us.
Two of three things:
1) al Shabab has probably, like Boko Haram, quietly allied itself with ISIS.
2) The new policy, since December, has been to no longer to encourage people in western countries to come to Syria, but to do things where they are.
3) They have no actual plans, or trained people yet.
They had one person in Paris, plus two others who thought they were operating under instructions from Al Qaeda in Yemen, not ISIS, and they had one person in Copenhagen. [al Qaeda in Yemen isn’t even the right name]
Both were previously criminals. There must have been other contact as well. Somebody had to supply someone who just got out of jail with targets and times and maybe weapons. There was also some organization in Europe, apparently in Belguim. [Another problem is the person in Denmark used the name Abu Bakr al Bagdadi, which the Caliph Ibrahim is no longer using]
Minneapolis, MN and Columbus, OH have the highest concentration of Somali-people; outside of Somalia. Nothing against hard-working, honest people who legally moved here; but al-Shabaab needn’t send operatives to the US–they’re most likely already here.