Area shoppers were struck with a recent bout of fear after hearing the terror threats from al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization from Somalia, to the Mall of America in Minneapolis and the Australian-based company Westfield, which runs malls on a global scale, including a location in Vernon Hills.
Scentre Group, the Australian branch that runs the Westfield malls in both Australia and New Zealand, released this statement in response to the threat, which was reported in the New Zealand Herald: “There is no evidence of an imminent threat to our shopping centres but as always Scentre Group will take every available step to keep our shopping centres safe for staff, retailers and customers.”
Westfield shoppers in the Libertyville-Vernon Hills area should have little fear for the threat was aimed at one of the New Zealand locations.
According to the New Zealand Herald, a major New Zealand news source similar to the New York Times, al-Shabaab has a history of mall violence in the past. Sixty-three people were reported dead in 2013 after an attack at Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Mall of America is planning on increasing its security to protect its shoppers from any impending danger, as reported by Fox News.
“We will continue to monitor events with the help of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies,” Mall of America said in a statement. “As always, we take any potential threat seriously and respond appropriately. Mall of America has implemented extra security precautions, some may be noticeable to guests, and others won’t be. We will continue to follow the situation, along with law enforcement, and will remain vigilant as we always do in similar situations.”
Al-Shabaab was given the “terrorist” tag from the United States Government in 2008, and in 2012 joined forces with the Iraqi terrorist group al-Qaeda, according to USA Today. The large Somali population outside of Minneapolis makes the Mall of America a prime target for the organization.
Amy Klobuchar, a senator from Minnesota, said “[The state has] been very successful in going after these guys,” as written in an article from USA Today. The same article claims 20 different indictments and nine convictions of al-Shabaab members as of late.
