Authorities in Northern Virginia are on high alert this Halloween weekend after being alerted to a potential threat against malls and shopping centers outside of Washington D.C. According to law enforcement officials, the threat has been linked to ISIS.
The threat was considered highly credible and possibly targeted Virginia shopping areas, particularly in the Fredericksburg area. However, as of Saturday evening, the threat was considered less severe than initially reported, according to an unnamed official.
“What I’m getting now is that it was a legitimate threat to Virginia, specifically Fredericksburg, but that as of late this morning, some of the higher side reporting is tamping down that threat,” a source told USA Today.
Law enforcement agencies around the state confirmed that heightened security would remain in place throughout the weekend. Officials stressed it is out of an abundance of caution.
Since the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, there has been an uptick in ISIS and al Qaeda threats. The Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence chief John Cohen said this week that the terror groups are encouraging individuals to carry out acts on their own overseas and at home.
