The Mall of American in Bloomington, Minnesota was packed with shoppers a day after an alleged member of the Somali al-Shabaab terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda threatened to attack the mall.
CBS News in Minnesota reported crowds of shoppers turned out at Mall of America on Feb. 12, a day after al-Shabaab made public its threat to attack malls in the U.S. and in Canada in a video.
It said security didn't appear at the mall didn't appear to have been increased. Mall of America officials released a statement saying they've sought the help of the state and federal authorities and intend to keep this Minnesota landmark secure.
About 40 million people visit the mall each year. Nearly half are visitors and despite the threat, Sunday was another busy day. The Bloomington Police Department, however, said additional security measures had been installed at the Mall of America.
"I'm more afraid of the cold today than any terrorists," one shopper at the mall was quoted as saying by Yahoo News.
U.S. security authorities said there was "no credible" evidence suggesting a U.S. mall attack was imminent or being planned. They noted al-Shabaab has never operated outside East Africa and the Horn of Africa.
They believe the threat was made against the Mall of America, the nation's second largest mall in size, because Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somalis in the United States. Some 20 Somali Minnesotans have joined a-Shabaab since 2007.
The Islamic terrorist group also said it saw Canada's West Edmonton Mall and Oxford Street in London's West End as probable targets. The Mall of America and West Edmonton Mall are both owned by Canada's Ghermezian family.
The masked narrator in the al-Shabaab video called on Muslims to attack shopping malls, The authenticity of the video hasn't been verified by security authorities.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, said both it and the FBI a provided local law enforcement agencies and private sector partners with relevant information regarding the recent al-Shabaab propaganda video.
DHS said "we are not aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center".
Authorities noted al-Shabaab carried out the deadly Westgate shopping mall attack in Nigeria in 2013.