"New Yorkers won't live in fear and people should continue to go to work, live their lives, and enjoy the greatest city in the world,” mayor De Blasio says.
By DANIELLE ZIRIUpdated: NOVEMBER 19, 2015 09:41New York City threatened in new ISIS video
NEW YORK - Days after the terror attacks shook Paris ISIS released a video threatening New York City.The video, released on Wednesday, shows crowded sites in New York such as Times Square, Fifth Avenue and Herald Square as well as footage of a man putting on a jacket over a suicide belt.ISIS had already threatened the US in a previous video released earlier this week in which the terrorist organization’s fighters praised the Paris attackers for their actions and pledged to strike the US “in its heart” - Washington DC.New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, who said Monday that he is aware his city is “the chief terror target” in the country, responded to the video in a statement on Wednesday night and promised that the city would "not be intimidated.”“The NYPD is the most capable police force in the country, with a robust counterterrorism operation that was just strengthened with an investment of 500 additional officers,” he said.The mayor stated that the New York Police Department is taking all necessary security precautions in the areas appearing in the video as well as other areas across the city."New Yorkers won't live in fear and people should continue to go to work, live their lives, and enjoy the greatest city in the world,” De Blasio added.On Monday, the mayor and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton announced the deployment of a new counterterrorism unit in the city called the Critical Response Command. It was launched with a first deployment of 100 NYPD officers, but an additional 400 volunteer policemen and eight K-9 dogs will eventually join. They will be posted daily at crowded and “sensitive” places throughout the city.Officers of the CRC will be expected to serve both offensive and a defensive roles. According to the Commissioner, they have received extensive training to be able to deal with active shooter scenarios such as the ones seen in Paris on Friday.