Virginia police confirmed that they were ramping up their enforcement presence after a report of a terrorist threat from ISIS against shopping centers in the state.
CBS News learned of the threat from ISIS from a law enforcement source and confirmed it through several Virginian police departments. It said that shopping centers could be targeted in northern Virginia over the Halloween weekend.
The report of the threat was the basis for a law enforcement-sensitive alert.
Fairfax County police chief Kevin Davis said he had been made aware of the threat through regional intelligence partners and that police were aware of the report.
“We have increased our police presence throughout the county, to include major thoroughfares, transit hubs, shopping plazas and shopping malls,” said Davis.
“It’s just our responsibility to have a greater presence, to be more aware, and to ask the community to have their eyes and ears peeled for suspicious activities,” said Davis at a media briefing Friday.
Davis went on to say that police would be alert for the holiday and for the state election on Tuesday.
“We have an election coming up next Tuesday where we’ll have increased patrols throughout the next several days out of an abundance of caution, because that’s what we do as a public safety agency,” Davis explained.
The Arlington County Police Department warned people to stay alert over what they called a “non-specific, unconfirmed threat to shopping centers.”
Prince William police released a similar statement.
“While we have not received any credible information of a threat, we do ask our community to remain vigilant while we continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure everyone remains safe,” the statement read.
Some experts have warned that the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan by the Biden administration had significantly emboldened terrorist groups, including ISIS. That terror group took responsibility for a gruesome terrorist suicide attack during the withdrawal in August that took the lives of 13 U.S. service members and 60 afghans.
Here’s more about the reported ISIS threat:
ISIS terror warning issued for Virginia malls
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