Johannesburg: In a video call, Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked extremists al-Shabab is said to have urged global Muslims to attack shopping malls in the United States, Canada, Britain and other developed Western countries.
U.S. authorities are of the opinion that there were no genuine evidences regarding a U.S. mall attack by the extremists.
The threat by the al-Qaida affiliate was in the final minutes of a more than hour-long video clipping.
In the footage the extremists have also warned Kenya of more attacks like the one conducted in September 2013 on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in which 67 people were killed.
The man appeared in the video was masked and he concluded the speech by calling on global Muslims to attack shopping malls in the countries of the western region.
He was specifically naming the Mall of America in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, as well as the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the Westfield mall in Stratford, England.
The genuineness of the video could not be immediately verified by the Associated Press.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security, provided local law enforcement agencies and private sector partners, with relevant information regarding the recent al-Shabab propaganda video.
DHS press secretary Marsha Catron said in a statement that they were not aware of any specific, credible plot on the Mall of America or any other commercial shopping centers in the region.
The Bloomington Police Department said that additional security measures had been maintained at the venue of the Mall in Minneapolis, America. This is one of the biggest malls in the country.
Speaking earlier on, during the morning talk shows in the United States, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson exclaimed the video as the new phase of the global terrorist threats and warned the public to be extremely vigilant.
Video on Somalian extremists plan to attack American Mall
