Mall of America Terror Threat

New terror threats seem to come out all the time, and in most cases they are directed at places in Europe or other foreign lands.  However, with the recent terror threat against the Mall of America in Minnesota, it does not get much closer to home than that.

Terrorism in America

Many years ago you might hear such a threat and think that it was not possible to carry out such an attack within the United States.  However, September 11, 2001 showed us as a country just how vulnerable we were, and how well organized a terror group can be. The most difficult terror attack to plan for is the unknown ones that come from within.

Since 2001 U.S. intelligence agencies have improved vastly with getting out in front of many homegrown acts of terror, but not all.  The bombing in Boston is an example of those that can stay under the radar and not become known until after an attack.

When you are talking about the threat against the Mall of America, and consider the fact that there have been numerous people that have been recruited by ISIS from Minnesota, one can easily assume that the potential for an attack is credible.

That being the case it comes down to insuring that security measures are in place wherever a potential terror attack may occur.  Both law enforcement and private security must be properly trained in identifying threats and risks, and understand how to coordinate their efforts to protect all parties.

Reasonable Security Measures

We cannot just go around shutting down malls because of a threat that has been made, we have to understand the known and unknown risks and take steps to minimize such risks no matter how slight they may appear.  Remember, a terror group needs only to be right one time, but law enforcement and security needs to be right all of the time.

There are a few things that every business can do to improve their security and reduce their risks.  Those things include conducting a security risk assessment to determine all potential security risks that may affect your business.

Security Experts also recommend that you provide your staff on security awareness training, because they may be the one person that observes an increased risk and if they do not know how to respond or who to report it to your business may be at high risk and even your security may not realize it.