As the world prepares to welcome in the new year, al-Qaeda has sent a chilling message to the West, threatening attacks on major airlines in a new video. The footage was released on Christmas and called for an “open-source Jihad” against American, British, and French airlines.
The threats come at a time of heightened awareness as the Israel-Hamas war continues raging in the Gaza Strip. The conflict has already inspired terrorist attacks against Jewish individuals in several countries. But the latest development, reported by Fox News, could either be an empty threat or a sign that al-Qaeda is rearing its terrorist head once again.
Al-Qaeda reportedly threatened an “open-source Jihad” against Western and Jewish targets, including airlines, in a video released within the last week.
Several federal authorities, including the TSA, and law enforcement agencies told Fox News Digital that they’re aware of the video and monitoring the situation.
The TSA said Sunday morning that they’re “not aware of any credible threats resulting from this video to date,” but are on high alert with tens of thousands to over a million people expected to flock to major cities to ring in the New Year.
“Foreign terrorist organizations routinely highlight transportation modes during the holidays,” the TSA said in an email. “TSA is operating at a high level of security and constant state of vigilance, as always.”
The original video was reportedly posted on Christmas Day — Dec. 25 — and called for increased attacks on American, British and French airlines, according to a report by Atlas News.
The menacing video reportedly mentioned specific airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, British Airways, EasyJet, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, according [to] Atlas News.
The FBI told Fox News that the agency is paying close attention to potential threats and urged Americans to “keep a watchful eye and “see something, say something.”
The backdrop to this development is the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas which started on October 7 when the terrorist organization launched a bloody attack against the Jewish state, killing at least 1,200. The act reignited the global conversation surrounding the overall Israel/Palestinian conflict and inspired attacks in France, China, the United Kingdom, and other nations.
The war has once again raised the specter of a possible terrorist attack in the United States. Indeed, when a car explosion occurred near the U.S.-Canadian border, it prompted speculation that it could have been an attempted act of terrorism.
Hopefully, there will be no terrorist attacks over the New Year’s holiday, but the recent threat from al-Qaeda underscores the ongoing risk of potential terrorism that looms large over the conflict in the Middle East. The conclusion to the war in Gaza is likely still months away at the very least, and even in the aftermath, there will be plenty of controversy to go around.
It is also worth mentioning that al-Qaeda is not alone in posing a terrorist threat to the U.S. Other groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and even ISIS would relish the opportunity to kill Americans, and the war in Gaza is the perfect inspiration for these entities.