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New ISIS Video Threat Reveals Las Vegas Strip May Be Memorial Day Weekend Terror Attack Target

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 04:37 PST, May 25, 2017

A video threat by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has security experts concerned about a possible ISIS terror attack happening on the Las Vegas Strip ahead of the holiday weekend.

The 44-minute ISIS video shows photos of the Las Vegas Strip and other popular tourists attractions in the United States as possible soft targets for terror attacks. This is the second time ISIS has shown images of iconic Las Vegas landmarks in its propaganda videos, ABC 7 Chicago reports.

Las Vegas Metro Police Captain Christopher Darcy addressed the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant video threat issue from inside the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center. Captain Darcy said all local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are taking the possible Memorial Day weekend terror attack threat in Las Vegas very seriously.

The man narrating the ISIS video appears to be an American jihadi, Gov Tech reports. The ISIS sympathizer called on like-minded people in America to launch lone-wolf terror attacks with vehicles or knives.

The new ISIS video threat was released online through Islamic State internet channels. Some of the other possible terror attack soft target locations shown were in New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.

Last week the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning about potential homegrown terror attacks. The notice to law enforcement agencies indicated the jihadists might be influenced by online ISIS propaganda to commit carnage on American soil.

“We face one of the most serious terror threat environments since the 9/11 attacks as foreign terrorist organizations continue to exploit the internet to inspire, enable, or direct individuals already here in the homeland to commit terrorist acts,” the DHS release said.

Tourists destinations are not the only places Americans should expect to see extra security personnel this holiday weekend. According to Captain Darcy, many densely populated areas will also beef up patrols and remain on alert for any possible signs of suspicious activity throughout the Memorial Day weekend.

The Nevada counter-terrorism center, also known as the Fusions Center, partners local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and related community agencies together. The sharing of information and partnered response personnel allows the respective agencies and entities to quickly exchange intelligence and work in a coordinated manner once a viable threat has been identified.

“I’d rather respond to a thousand nothings than miss the one something that’s going to lead to us stopping an attack here in our valley,” Captain Darcy said when urging the public to remain vigilant and to always “say something” if they “see something.”

Four months after Las Vegas first appeared as a soft target in an ISIS propaganda video last year Nevada lawmakers passed the “more cops tax.” The bill created a new tax to garner the extra funding needed to hire 60 additional police officers to patrol the Las Vegas Strip.

Earlier this week staffers at the Fusion Center, which is located at the headquarters of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, reviewed a multitude of footage from surveillance cameras and spoke with local officers to further investigate the ISIS video threat. Captain Darcy said each and every day everyone who enters the Fusion Center is focused on preventing a terror attack and enhancing public safety.

What do you think about the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant video threat on the Las Vegas Strip and other soft target tourist attractions in the United States? Will there be an ISIS terror attack this Memorial Day weekend?

[Featured Image by Somchaij/Shutterstock]

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