Somalia jihadists urge attacks on US malls

A video purported to be by Somalia’s al-Qaeda-linked rebel group al-Shabab urges Muslims to attack shopping malls in the US, Canada, Britain and other Western countries.

In the video, released late Saturday, the extremist group again says its September 2013 attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, was in reprisal for Kenyan military involvement in Somalia. Sixty-seven people died in the attack. The video, using footage from major news organizations, showed the assault on the mall.

The masked narrator of the 76-minute video warns of more attacks in Kenya and concludes by calling on Muslims to attack shopping malls, specifically mentioning the Mall of America in Minnesota, the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and the Westfield mall in Stratford, England.

The authenticity of the video could not be immediately verified by The Associated Press.

The narrator, his face wrapped in a black-and-white kaffiyeh-type scarf and wearing a camouflage jacket, speaks with a British accent and appears to be of Somali origin. He accused Kenyan troops in Somalia of committing abuses against Somali Muslims.

He ends the video by calling on Muslim men to attack other shopping malls in Western countries.

“What if such an attack were to occur in the Mall of America in Minnesota? Or the West Edmonton Mall in Canada? Or in London’s Oxford Street?” the masked man says, then calls for Britain’s Westfield mall to be targeted.

Speaking on morning talks shows in the US, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, calls the video “the new phase” of the global terrorist threat and says the US takes such threats seriously.

“These groups are relying more and more on independent actors to become inspired, drawn to the cause and they’ll attack on their own,” Johnson says, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“I am very concerned about serious potential threats of independent actors here in the United States. We’ve seen this now in Europe, we’ve seen this in Canada.”

Asked specifically about the Mall of America, Johnson says: “Any time a terrorist organization calls for an attack on a specific place we’ve got to take that seriously. What we’re telling the public is you’ve got to be vigilant. … There will be enhanced security there that will be apparent … but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important. It’s the environment we’re in.”

The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the Edmonton Mall both issued statements saying they have increased security.

— AP