New York City officials vowed that they were prepared to handle any terror threat late Wednesday after a video released by ISIS praised the recent attacks in Paris while using previous footage of a suicide bomber preparing to attack Times Square.
The video’s release came just before the city goes into full holiday mode, with next week’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade followed by the Christmas tree lighting in Rockefeller Center on Dec. 2. These and other events attract tens of millions of visitors each year.
Police Commissioner William Bratton described the video as “hastily produced,” while Mayor Bill De Blasio insisted that New Yorkers “should continue to go to work, live their lives, and enjoy the greatest city in the world.”
“Be aware, but do not be afraid. The NYPD will protect you,” Bratton said. “We cannot be intimidated, and that’s what terrorists seek to do. They seek to create fear. They seek to intimidate. We will not be intimidated, and we will not live in fear.”
The video, released by ISIS’s media arm the Furat Media Center, features several men, some speaking in Arabic and French, congratulating ISIS over the Paris attacks and promising that terror group will prevail.
The video also shows French President Francois Hollande’s address following the attacks on Paris last week, mixed in with scenes of an older video of New York City.
Before showing scenes of New York’s Times Square, an ISIS militant is pictured saying that the attacks in Paris were just the beginning.
The video then cuts to a militant donning a bomb vest mixed with footage of flashing billboards and yellow taxi cabs.
The video ends with a message on screen that reads “and what is to come will be worse and more bitter.”
However, none of the speakers in the video specifically mention attacking Times Square, despite the imagery of the suicide bomber preparing to attack.
New York City Police Department spokesman Stephen Davis said the agency is aware of the video, and will continue to work with the FBI and intelligence community.
“While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target,” he said, later adding “While there is no current or specific threat to the city at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance and will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelligence community.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement that after the attacks in Paris he directed state agencies to “enhance their preparedness.”
“Remember that the terrorists’ goal is to let fear win – New Yorkers never have, and we never will,” he said.
A new ISIS propaganda video makes threats against the New York City — and shows Manhattan streetscapes that include Times Square and Herald Square, The Post has learned.
The slick production includes storefront shots of TGI Fridays in Times Square and the Gap in Herald Square — along with footage of yellow taxi cabs driving past.
The images of New York City are spliced between disturbing clips of suicide bombers preparing for attacks. A fighter also holds a grenade, pulling the trigger as the camera cuts to black.
French President Francois Hollande then appears on screen, giving an address just after the Paris attacks. At the end of his speech, he says, “it’s horrible.”
Then words flash on the screen, saying, “And what’s coming next will be far worse and more bitter.”
The video also includes statements from several jihadis, praising “soldiers of the caliphate in France” for their “blessed operation.”
“We are aware of the newly-released ISIS video that mentions Times Square,” NYPD spokesman J. Peter Donald said in a statement.
“While some of the video footage is not new, the video reaffirms the message that New York City remains a top terrorist target. While there is no current or specific threat to the City at this time, we will remain at a heightened state of vigilance and will continue to work with the FBI, the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the entire intelligence community to keep the City of New York safe.”