Officials investigate threat to LA mall
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A terrorism task force was investigating an “uncorroborated” threat to a Los Angeles-area shopping mall, and federal officials say an attack may have been planned for Thursday. “As of now, the information is uncorroborated and the credibility of the source is unknown,” Los Angeles police said in a statement.
No specific shopping mall was named, but an anonymous telephone call to federal officials several days ago indicated a mall near the Federal Building in West Los Angeles, Police Chief William Bratton said. The caller provided no further details about a possible attack.
The warning was analyzed for several days along with other information that Bratton declined to specify. Malls were notified and police were placed on citywide alert before the public warning was made.
The alert was “strictly precautionary,” Bratton said at a news conference at The Grove, an open shopping mall in the Fairfax District. “We need the eyes, the ears” of the public because such scrutiny can deter terrorists, he added.
Bratton said police and the FBI were trying to identify the caller. Police had already been investigating several other threats that weren’t as specific.
Police increased patrols at shopping malls and asked mall operators to beef up their security while a joint terrorism task force investigates.
Mayor James Hahn asked residents to go about their normal activities but watch for suspicious activity, such as “a truck that seems to be parked somewhere for too long, or someone … wearing bulky clothing on a hot day.”
“What made this a little bit unusual was that we had a specific day mentioned and a specific type of location and a general vicinity,” Hahn told KABC-AM radio Thursday.
FBI spokesman Matt McLaughlin said the agency had not determined how reliable the informant was but said authorities have to aggressively investigate all threats they can’t immediately dismiss.
Thursday morning, pairs of LAPD officers on foot patrolled all three levels of the Westside Pavilion, about 21/2 miles away from the Federal Building.
Liliana Restrepo, 24, who operates a jewelry cart in the mall, said she wasn’t worried herself but was afraid the threat would scare away customers. “It will be a horrible day,” she said.
Crew members putting up sets for a Tim Allen movie called “Skipping Christmas” also shrugged off the warning.
“We can’t let it bother us. We can’t live in fear,” said Alex Barnoya, 42.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was told about the warning, spokeswoman Terri Carbaugh said.
Several Los Angeles-area sites have been said to be potential targets for terrorists, including movie studios, bridges, seaports and airports.