ISIS released a video on Nov. 18 celebrating the Paris attacks of Nov. 13. The same video contained footage of New York City’s Times Square, prompting the New York City Police Department to address New Yorkers.
The NYPD said it’s aware of the new ISIS video, but that there is no specific threat to the city.
“While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Stephen Davis said in a statement.
The video begins with remarks from French President François Hollande following the terror attacks last Friday that left at least 129 people dead. There are also comments from ISIS terrorists.
Times Square is then shown along with NYC taxis and Midtown stores like TGI Friday’s and the Gap.
Davis described the extra security measures being taken in New York:
“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 to keep the city of New York safe. In addition, we are continuing to deploy additional Critical Response Command (CRC) teams throughout the city, out of an abundance of caution.”
NYPD Responding
Some analysts said the video was repurposed footage shot in April.
Storyful’s global news editor David Clinch wrote a summary in a tweet, “It is basically old content updated with Paris.”
On Nov. 16, Mayor Bill de Blasio noted that the first officers from the NYPD’s elite CRC counterterrorism squad began patrolling the city’s streets. Eventually, more than 500 officers will be part of the unit, deployed at critical locations around the city.
Earlier in the week, ISIS also released a video saying countries that have carried out airstrikes in Syria will suffer terrorist attacks.
“We struck France in the center of its abode in Paris, then we swear that we will strike America at its center in Washington,” said one terrorist in the video.
French police on Wednesday carried out raids in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis in a move officials said prevented more terrorist attacks from taking place. Paris prosecutor François Molins told ABC News that police fired nearly 5,000 rounds during the raid, adding that the raid was difficult because the apartment had an armored door.
