ISIS released a video apparently threatening New York City, but Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city “will not be intimidated.”
“The people of New York City will not be intimidated,” he said Wednesday, CNN reports. “We understand it is the goal of terrorists to intimidate and disrupt our democratic society. We will not submit to their wishes.”
The video has images of Times Square and shows what appears to be a suicide bomber zipping his jacket over an explosive device. The New York City Police Department said they were already aware of the video and didn’t deem it a credible threat to the city.
“While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target,” the department said in a statement. “While there is no current or specific threat to the city at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance and will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelligence community to keep the city of New York safe.”
John Miller, the police department’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism, reiterated that the video was based on old footage. “This is an old video that was kind of rehashed,” he said. “This is ISIS doing what ISIS and al-Qaeda and terrorist groups do, which is propaganda.”
