There is no credible threat to New York City at this time, officials said after a video surfaced Wednesday showing Islamic State terrorists ostensibly preparing for a terrorist strike on Times Square.
According to New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton, the video itself is not new, and neither is the ISIS threat to attack New York.
“To be quite frank with you, there is nothing new about that video,” Bratton said during a press conference. The video was cut from a larger one released by ISIS a few months ago which showed the group conducting attacks in several places, including Germany and Israel.
In the video, scenes of terrorists preparing for a terror attack are interspersed with shots of Times Square. A terrorist is seen strapping on a bomb and wearing a leather jacket, typical of the outerwear that would be worn in New York this time of year.
According to Bratton, however, that footage appeared in another ISIS video earlier this year, and as far as the city knows there is no specific or credible threat.
Two days ago, ISIS issued a video threatening Washington D.C. with an attack, and yet another threatening “French allies,” including Canada, claiming credit retroactively for the October 22, 2014 shooting attack at the Parliament building in Ottawa.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday night that the city “would not be intimidated and we will not submit to their wishes. People in New York City, as you can see right now, are going about their business – even at this late hour. I want to encourage all New Yorkers to go about their business normally."
"It’s important to note that there is no credible and specific threat against New York City," he added.