THE security threat level ahead of this year’s Thanksgiving parade is at an all-time high as terrorist groups seek to exploit a distracted United States, a 9/11 responder has warned.
Millions of revelers are set to line the streets of New York City and tune in at home as they watch the star-studded Macy’s event, which is in its 98th year.
ReutersSecurity chiefs have warned how terrorists could target the Thanksgiving parade[/caption]
AP:Associated PressArmed New York police cops standing guard ahead of the parade in 2017[/caption]
Security fears are high after a New York Police Department and FBI report, first seen by ABC News, warned domestic and international terrorists could target the event.
Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving at a time when geopolitical tensions remain heightened.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has seen thousands of Palestinians killed, spiraled into Lebanon, and sparked protests across the U.S.
Threats posed by China have not disappeared, while Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has turned into a stalemate, and terror factions have a presence in Latin America.
Combat veteran Bryan Stern, who has more than 25 years of military experience, told The U.S. Sun that America’s enemies and terrorist organizations are emboldened.
“They wake up every single day trying to figure out how to drink American blood with their Cheerios,” he said.
“They’re excited and motivated. This is their prime time.
“They are ready to rock and roll, but we don’t seem to be paying attention.”
Stern, who led rescue missions out of Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, believes the security threat facing the US is at an “all-time high.”
He warned the parade is a “soft” target and attractive for terror groups to target.
“This year, [the risk] is an all-time high,” Stern said.
“Terrorists all over the world are squarely emboldened.”
Stern, the founder of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, alluded to factors that have shaped his judgment.
He said the current geopolitical climate is not the only contributory factor.
Stern explained that the bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened terror groups, as have the fallout of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and the state of the US border.
“The bad guys are not afraid,” he admitted.
“They are generally emboldened and motivated by what has been going on, and their ability to access the United States is easy.
“We take all that, and the parade is a very, very, very appetizing target.
“Terrorists do not hit hard targets – they hit soft targets.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade is a soft target.”
They wake up every single day trying to figure out how to drink American blood with their Cheerios.
Bryan Stern
According to Stern, the extent to which terror factions have been emboldened has not been seen in more than twenty years.
“Terrorist groups at all levels are squarely not afraid of America,” he said.
“There hasn’t been as much excitement or jubilee in the terrorist world since the morning of 9/11.”
Stern warned that Taliban fighters could claim a win over the West because of America’s bungled evacuation.
The withdrawal was widely condemned by politicians on both sides of the aisle, and Biden’s competency was called into question just months after taking office.
“After Afghanistan, the bad guys can say they won,” Stern said.
“They chased the West out – running for their lives with people falling from airplanes.
“It was a complete mess, and that’s where you started to see their morale really improve.
From their perspective, they are a winning football team.”
Stern also told how the fact Americans are still being held hostage represents another “major success” for terror groups.
He warned that those who want to sew terror are “scoring touchdowns” against the West.
“The Taliban can claim they beat Nato. Vladimir Putin is trying to beat Nato and is struggling with it,” he said.
“The Taliban can feed this narrative that says they are right, and the West is wrong.”
Stern claimed that terror groups can easily radicalize new members and warned it doesn’t “take a lot” to cause destruction.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade factfile
THE annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade takes place in New York in what is the 98th edition of the event. Here is what you need to know:
The parade starts at 8:30am and airs on NBC and Peacock.
It will feature 17 character balloons and 10,000 performers.
Eleven marching bands and 10 groups will appear.
A total of 22 floats will be used.
There will be 700 clowns.
Alison Brie, who starred in Mad Men, will cut the ribbon that marks the start of the parade
Artists such as Jennifer Hudson and Kyle Minogue are set to perform.
The lineup also includes Broadway star Idina Menzel and groups such as The Temptations.
There will be six new floats at this year’s parade, including ones inspired by Dora The Explorer and Nickelodeon and the Disney Cruise Line’s Magic Meets the Seas.
Fan favorite balloons such as Snoopy and Pikachu will re-appear.
Fans will be treated to six new balloons, and a Spider-Man inflatable is to return.
Source: Today.
Security fears continue to remain high as the Israel-Gaza conflict rages, and lawmakers have warned about how Hezbollah factions are embedded in Venezuela.
The relationship between Tehran and Caracas has deepened, united by a sense of anti-Americanism.
Lawmakers in Congress have sounded the alarm when it comes to security in relation to the border.
A House Judiciary Committee report published in August claimed more than 250 migrants on the terrorist watch list entered the US illegally between 2021 and 2023.
And, 99 were allowed to settle in the US.
THANKSGIVING FEARS
While security chiefs have stressed there is no specific threat, agencies are taking action to mitigate the possibility of one arising.
The dossier alluded to the threat of vehicle ramming.
New York cops are to deploy sanitation trucks across the parade route.
“Though the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade event will provide a broad set of potential soft targets for an attack, congested areas where the largest amount of people gather-particularly designated viewing areas-are likely the most vulnerable spots for a mass casualty attack,” the report warned.
Around 10,000 people will star in the parade that kicks off at 8:30am.
It gets underway in the Upper West Side district, and participants will then troop to Herald Square.
Crowds will be treated to Broadway performers, floats, and A-list stars, including Jennifer Hudson and Kylie Minogue, will wow fans, as revealed by Today.
Broadway star Idina Menzel and groups like The Temptations will also treat crowds.
More than 700 clowns and 17 character balloons are set to star in the parade.
Organizers will be hoping to avoid a repeat of the disruption seen at last year’s parade.
In 2023, pro-Palestinian demonstrators glued themselves to the road.
The disruption came just weeks after Hamas carried out the October 7 terror attacks.
Adam Gray – Commissioned by The US Sun Digital editionThousands of performers are set to dazzle crowds[/caption]
APCrowds wrapped up warm for the 2019 Thanksgiving parade[/caption]
APThe Texas Tech Marching band in action at last year’s parade[/caption]
Grey Bull Rescue FoundationBryan Stern, a 9/11 responder, warned terrorists have been emboldened[/caption]
Adam Gray – Commissioned by The US Sun Digital editionLast year’s parade was targeted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators[/caption]
https://www.the-sun.com/news/12978625/macys-thanksgiving-parade-terrorism-threat-security/