Threats made to popular shopping sites by the Somali based Islamist militants are being taken seriously according to the US homeland security chief Jeh Johnson (CNN.com).

The militant’s threats were directed to western world shopping centers, including the Mall of America, West Edmonton Mall in Canada, sites in Paris, and London’s famous Oxford Street.

Johnson said that these threats from an ISIL branch called al Shabaab are calling for individuals to carry out these attacks in their own countries.

According to the New York Times, U.S. officials said that the al Shabaab terror group has not gained much attention in Somalia or surrounding countries. However, the threats should not be taken lightly.

Shopping centers all over western countries, especially the ones specifically mentioned by al Shabaab, are taking extra security measures to make sure consumers stay safe.

The Mall of America and the West Edmonton Mall get a combined number of about 78 million visitors per year. Oxford Street in London also is home to many large department stores and is a popular destination for tourists. Many people could be at risk from these video threats.

Police in London are aware of the video and are assessing the credibility of this threat.

al Shabaab claimed that they were responsible for an attack in Kenya that killed 67 people in 2013.

Ever since this attack, the concern for safety in malls worldwide has increased tremendously.

In reaction to this, malls have hired trained security guards and created evacuation procedures (rueters.com.