NY City aware of IS video, sees no specific threat

NY Mayor Bill de Blasio said his city will not be intimidated or live in fear after the Islamic State group released a new video Wednesday evening threatening the largest city in the U.S.

City leaders are urging calm and telling New Yorkers to go about their lives amid the Islamic State’s video threat to attack the city.

“While a few of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that NY City remains a top terrorist target”, the NYPD told CNN in a statement.

At a Wednesday evening press conference in Times Square, police Commissioner William Bratton said the video appeared to be “hastily produced”.

Add to that the millions expected at the December 2 tree lighting ceremony and the New Year’s Eve event in Times Square on December 31, many people who are preparing to enjoy the holiday season in NY City will undoubtedly be concerned about their safety.

“Fear is the oxygen of terrorism, and what they’re trying to do is pump much more oxygen into the system, and we’re prepared to respond to it”, said Bratton.

And NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism John Miller appeared on NBC’s “Today” show.

A man is seen pulling the pin of an explosive device in the new ISIS video.

Earlier this week, another video released by ISIS threatened to strike Washington.

Francis Manoloto from San Diego said, “We’re gonna live our lives whether they try to scare us or not, we’re not afraid of them”.

But Bill de Blasio has an easy response to the ISIS threat against NY City Just ignore it. This latest video has a shot of Times Square in NY City edited with video of homemade bombs. “It reflects the importance of this city”. New Yorkers should be celebratory and share with family. The city has stepped up security at these so-called “soft targets” like transit hubs, shopping areas and other heavily-trafficked areas. His midtown firm has already received calls from his corporate retail clients to boost private security for Black Friday as a result of the Paris attacks but it’s the request that he was asked to fulfill Thursday morning that is a first for his 8-year-old security firm.