The New York City Police Department (NYPD) and other law enforcement agencies in the United States are on high alert after a new threat was issued by the Islamic State extremists ISIS following a re-release of a September 2014 message by some unidentified sources.
In the last year’s message, the terror outfit asked its followers to “rise up and kill intelligence officers, police officers, soldiers, and civilians.”
The threat was specifically issued against the United States, Canada, France and Australia.
According to the officials, the ISIS on Saturday posted a video on micro-blogging site Twitter calling for attacks on police officials and soldiers in the United States, Canada, France and Great Britain.
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton reportedly said that the NYPD is taking such terror threats seriously.
“There are a number of people who are in the process of being radicalized. Something like this can be the last straw to move them forward. Additionally, they are continually working to attract new recruits,” Bratton said.
NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism John Miller said that the terror message issued by ISIS was a renewal of a call from last September before a series of terror attacks in Canada followed by a hatchet attack on NYPD officers in October.
Miller said the NYPD has issued a safety advisory to police officers and other law enforcement officials asking them to remain “extra vigilant”.
“Pay attention to your surroundings and pay close attention to approaching vehicles. Pay close attention to people as they approach and look at their hands,” according to the memo.
In order to learn the current patters of attack and protect New York from terror outfits, the NYPD’s civilian analysts and counter-terrorism officers are minutely studying the recent terror attacks on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a kosher grocery store in Paris.