(Bloomberg) — Visitors to the Mall of America must be
"particularly careful" after a terror group threatened the
Minneapolis-area tourist attraction, the U.S. Homeland Security
secretary said.
Jeh Johnson's comments during an interview Sunday on CNN's
"State of the Union" program followed the release of a video
Saturday by the terror group al-Shabaab that called for attacks
in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., according to the news network.
"If anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today,
they've got to be particularly careful," Johnson said. He said
later on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he wasn't telling people
to steer clear of the mall.
Gunmen from al-Shabaab, based in Somalia, attacked a
shopping mall in Kenya in September 2013. At least 67 people
died during the attack, which lasted for days. Minneapolis is
home to one of the largest Somali populations in the U.S., and
federal officials have said al-Shabaab lured recruits from the
region.

The world is dealing with a "new phase" of global
terrorism, Johnson said on NBC. Previously, terror groups would
train recruits to commit acts of violence and then send them
into other countries to carry out plans. Now, such groups are
using the Internet and social media to push people to carry out
attacks on their own, he said.

Tourist Traffic

"I'm sure security at the mall will be enhanced in ways
visible and not visible," Johnson said in his NBC interview.
"There needs to be an awareness" by the public as well, he
said.
Mall of America has "implemented extra security
precautions, some may be noticeable to guests, and others won't
be," according to an e-mailed statement by Dan Jasper, a
spokesman. "We will continue to follow the situation, along
with law enforcement, and will remain vigilant as we always do
in similar situations."
The complex in Bloomington, Minnesota, has more than 500
stores and attracts 40 million visitors a year, about two-fifths
of them tourists, according to its website. It's owned by Triple
Five Group, an Edmonton, Alberta-based development company.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police are also investigating the
"exact contents and authenticity" of the video allegedly from
the terror group because it contains a threat against Canada's
West Edmonton Mall, Canadian Press reported.
That mall is also owned by Triple Five Group.

Funding Fight

Johnson's interviews on several Sunday morning U.S. news
shows aired five days before funding for the Department of
Homeland Security is set to lapse. Such an event would trigger a
shutdown of non-essential agency operations unless Congress
enacts new funds. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and
House Speaker John Boehner want to use a spending bill to force
President Barack Obama to reverse his orders shielding
undocumented immigrants from being deported.
On Monday, McConnell will try for a fourth time to advance
a House-passed Homeland Security spending bill, H.R. 240, that
would require Obama to abandon the immigration action he
announced in November.
Democrats have blocked the measure three times. They say
Congress should fund Homeland Security, which is responsible for
immigration and border enforcement, without setting new limits
on immigration policy. Democrats have said they are holding firm
in defense of the president's policies.

Court System

The Justice Department is preparing to appeal a judge's
order last week that blocked Obama from implementing his
immigration policy changes. On Monday, the administration also
will seek an emergency order allowing the president's plans to
proceed during the appeal.
Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said in an
interview on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday that he didn't
support efforts to shut the government down and that the federal
court system is the "best way" to resolve the impasse.
"But have no doubt I am angry, as are my constituents in a
border state, that the president of the United States would
unconstitutionally issue the executive orders he did," McCain
said.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, urged
Republicans to fund the department and fight Obama's actions in
court.
"The worst possible option is to defund the Department of
Homeland Security," Graham said on ABC’s “This Week” program.
"And I will not be part of that."

'Skeleton Crew'

Johnson said separately on Sunday that he plans to be on
Capitol Hill "continuously" this week to press for an end to
the stalemate.
During a shutdown, while 80 percent to 85 percent of the
department's employees would be required to come to work, many
wouldn't be paid on time, Johnson said at a cyber-security panel
at a National Governors Association meeting in Washington. About
30,000 employees would be furloughed, with headquarters in
"skeleton crew" mode, he said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency would have 80
percent of its workforce furloughed at a time of severe weather
in parts of the U.S., Johnson said. The agency would also be
unable to process disaster-aid claims during a shutdown, he
said.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Kathleen Miller in Washington at
kmiller01@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Bernard Kohn at
bkohn2@bloomberg.net
Scott Lanman