What to Know
- The latest issue of the terror groups magazine says the parade would be an "excellent target" for terror
- Officials say there has been no credible, specific threat to the parade or to the city on Thanksgiving
- ISIS has taken credit for similar "lone-wolf" attacks in the past
Manhattan's Thanksgiving day parade would be "an excellent target" for a terror attack similar to the one carried out in France over the summer that killed dozens of people, ISIS said in its English-language magazine.
The latest edition of the magazine includes a virtual how-to on inflicting maximum casualties; it features a photo of the iconic parade with a caption espousing its merits as a target for terrorism.
Local and federal law enforcement officials in New York say there has been no credible, specific threat to the parade or the city on Thanksgiving.
John Miller, the NYPD's deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, said that the department has had measures in place to stop potential car-based attacks on the parade for several years.
"This is not something that just occurred to us over the weekend (when the magazine was released)," he said.
He added, "Bottom line, come to the Thanksgiving day parade, have a good time, bring the family."
Local
The terror group has taken credit for similar attacks in the past, including in Nice, France, in July, when Mohamed Salmene Lahouaiej-Bouhlel attacked people celebrating Bastille Day. Eighty-six people were killed and more than 400 others were hurt.
French police shot and killed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel immediately after the attack.
Miller said that after the attacks in Nice, police reached out to most of the truck rental businesses throughout the city to make sure employees there knew how to identify and report suspicous behavior.
ISIS has called for "lone-wolf" attacks in the city before. A propaganda video released by ISIS in 2015 featured shots of Times Square, but authorities at the time said there was no new threat to the city.
