Investigators in charge of the NYPD and FBI's joint threat assessment warn that domestic and foreign terrorists could target the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, according to a new report.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is expected to draw 2 million spectators from across the United States in person and a national television audience. Approximately 10,000 marchers are expected to participate, including from all over the country.
This year's rehearsal photos include the Sioux Falls Lincoln Patriot Marching Band from South Dakota, the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Minuteman Marching Band, high school students from Georgia, New Jersey and Arizona, and Texas-based The Spirit of America Cheer Group and others are pictured.
Reminiscing with food ahead of Thanksgiving: 3 things you need to know
People watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/File)
“The men and women of the NYPD look forward to welcoming the millions of spectators who will participate in Thanksgiving-related festivities this week,” Deputy Commissioner Tariq Shepard told Fox News. “And while there are no credible or specific threats to any individual event or New York City as a whole at this time, the Police Department continues to work with our state and federal colleagues to ensure that all the people we serve are safe and enjoyable.” We will guarantee the holiday season.”
But initial assessments available suggest the parade could be an attractive soft target for domestic and foreign terrorists. ABC News.
New York Democratic Party demands firing of violent criminal after being arrested for slashing him three times in a row after being released early
The Lake Hamilton High School Marching Band rehearses for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2024 in New York City. (John Nasion/Getty Images)
“The 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade event will provide a wide range of potential soft targets for attack, but the most crowded areas, especially designated viewing areas, will likely cause mass casualties. ” according to the outlet.
The authors, as well as state and city investigators, found no specific threats to the incident.
This view shows the Tiptoe float during rehearsal for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2024 in New York City. (John Nasion/Getty Images)
They warned of the possibility of vehicular attacks, like the 2017 Islamic State group-inspired truck attack on a Manhattan bike path. In this incident, a radicalized lone wolf named Sayfululo Saipov charged his victims with a gun, killing eight people and injuring 13 others. Rental flatbed truck. Mr. Saipov was convicted and sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences and an additional 260 years in prison.
New York bike path attacker is a 'proud terrorist' who deserves the death penalty, prosecutors tell jury
To mitigate similar attacks, authorities plan to block intersections with garbage trucks and other obstacles, according to the assessment.
The NYPD is accustomed to operating in such threat environments, conducting extensive intelligence operations that include domestic and international data collection.
Disney characters rehearse for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 25, 2024. (John Nasion/Getty Images)
Last year, anti-Israel activists disrupted the parade with chants and banners, and some staked out roads along the parade route.
Israel's ongoing conflict with the anti-Semitic terrorist organization Hamas, which attacked the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, has sparked protests around the world and heightened the threat of terrorism.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Balloonfest Preview will be shown at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on November 2, 2024 (Eugene Gologorski/Getty Images, Macy's)
At a joint news conference last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams said both city and state police monitor domestic and international threats.
The first Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was held 100 years ago on November 27, 1924. It has been held every year since then, except during World War II.
“The NYPD has provided security for the Thanksgiving Day Parade since its inception,” said John Macari, a former NYPD lieutenant who provided security for the parade many times during his career. “The NYPD faces numerous concerns each year, from traffic safety to, God forbid, acts of terrorism.”
Protests erupt, like last year's glue incident. Balloons can be blown off by the wind, with fatal consequences.
“I have full confidence that the NYPD will continue to ensure the safety of parade participants in the same manner they have always done,” Macari said.
The Big Apple is expected to experience rainy and chilly weather this year, according to the forecast. fox weather. The threat of a winter storm looms in the Northeast, but winds are not expected to increase until late afternoon. The temperature is expected to be around 45 degrees.
Parade begins at 8:30 a.m.
