U.S. officials are urging vigilance after terror group al-Shabab released a propaganda video Saturday that threatens attacks on shopping malls in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, CNN reports.
In the video, the al-Qaida-linked terror group brags about its deadly September 2013 attack on a mall in Kenya, the report says. The assault, which went on for days, left more than 60 people dead at an upscale mall in Nairobi, notes the news outlet. CNN says that Saturday's video calls for similar attacks on malls in the three Western countries.
Minnesota's Mall of America said it was aware that it was named in the video as a potential target, the report says. "We take any potential threat seriously and respond appropriately," the Minnesota mall said in a statement, according to CNN. “We have implemented extra security precautions, some may be noticeable to guests and others won't be."
The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, which was also listed, said it has implemented extra security and is working with federal and local law-enforcement agencies, CNN reports.
In light of the threat, U.S. officials urged mall shoppers to be vigilant.
According to CNN, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Sunday, "If anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today, they've got to be particularly careful.
"There will be enhanced security there," he said, according to the news outlet, "but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important, and it's the environment we're in, frankly."
The National Security Council told CNN that it is working with various agencies, including the FBI and local law enforcement, to ensure maximum security.
The Somalia-based militants have heavily recruited in Minneapolis, according to CNN, "where young men have been slipping away to join the terror group." The city is home to the largest Somali population in the United States, the report notes.
Read more at CNN.