(Unclassified//For Official Use Only) Shopping Malls and Open Air Shopping Centers

Transcription

1 11/28/2016 Shopping Malls and Open Air Shopping Centers As the Christmas shopping season begins, malls will see an increase in shoppers and shopping activity with some retailers generating as much as 30% of their sales during the period. 1 The National Retail Federation reported 99 million people indicated they shopped in stores on the so-called Black Friday weekend in Only 9% of consumers reported they had finished their shopping on that weekend. 3 The history of violence at shopping malls in the United States has primarily involved active shooters unrelated to terrorism. The history of violence at shopping malls worldwide includes terrorism attacks with explosive devices. The increasing frequency of terrorism attacks against soft target suggests that consideration of additional protective measures at shopping malls is likely prudent.. Key Findings (U/FOUO) - Closed and open air shopping malls in the homeland are likely attractive targets for violence because they are highly concentrated population destinations with limited preventative security. (U/FOUO) - Mall attacks in the United States will likely be carried out by solo homegrown violent extremists (HVE) influenced by foreign terrorist organizations as well as violent individuals with a wide variety of motives likely using edged weapons or firearms and attacking in ways that will result in the death of the attacker as well as mall patrons, employees and first responders. (U/FOUO) - If U.S. homegrown violent extremists (HVE) adopt the tactics being used in other countries, malls in the homeland are vulnerable and may be subjected to escalated violence including attacks with explosive devices and attacks by multiple coordinated HVE attackers (U/FOUO) - Closed and open air shopping malls in the homeland are likely attractive targets for violence because they are highly concentrated population destinations with limited preventative security. The National Institute of Justice study and analysis of shopping malls stated, the very nature of retail malls makes them vulnerable: Large numbers of people, many carrying sizeable parcels, come and go through multiple entrances and exits, making it easy for a shooter to blend in with the crowds. 4 Malls provide family recreational opportunity in the U.S. and are the frequent focus of special events. In addition, individuals concentrate in malls for passive recreation filling in time when visiting communities for other events. Shopping periods around the release of new season clothing lines and the school year occur. As (Unclassified//For Official Use Only)

2 a result mall traffic ebbs and flows based on local community activity and then peaks universally in advance of the end of year gift giving holidays making the mall a continuous target from the standpoint of user concentration. (U/FOUO) HVE are encouraged by the al-qa ida magazine Inspire to be motivated in part by actions that can destroy the U.S. economy. 5 After 9/11, foot traffic at U.S. malls plunged significantly. For example, General Growth Properties temporarily closed all 146 regional malls the day of the attacks. By the end of September 2001, malls were on their way to return to normal. This demonstrates the economic impact of a possible attack as well as resiliency as a destination of U.S. malls. 6 (U/FOUO) - Malls are found in and around all U.S. geographic areas of population concentration which puts them in easy reach of foreign terrorist organization (FTO) inspired homegrown violent extremists (HVE) as well as violent individuals with differing motivations. In a recent survey, three quarters of all Americans (184 million) went to a closed mall or open air shopping center four times within the previous 30 days. In addition to shopping and eating, mall visitors went to the mall for either walking or children s activities. 7 Malls symbolically represent the U.S. consumer culture and way of life. Malls range in size from small to very large. At the pinnacle of size, the Mall of America, one of the largest in the world, has 500 stores, 50, restaurants, 12,000 employees and averages over 100,000 visitors each day. 8 (U/FOUO)- In 2015, there were 10,848 shopping centers in the State of Florida ranging in size from small convince centers to super regional malls, which represented 9.4% of the total number in the United States. 9 The largest shopping mall in Florida is the Aventura Mall located in suburban Miami. It is the third largest shopping mall in the U.S., consisting of 2.7 million square feet of retail space, providing shopping in 300 stores. 10 The second largest mall is the Sawgrass Mills mall located in Broward County. Sawgrass Mills is the largest outlet and value mall in the U.S. and the 7th largest mall of any type in the nation. The mall has 2.38 million square feet of space and provides 350 stores for shoppers. 11 Among the super-regional malls in Florida is The Florida Mall located in the Orlando area, which is the third largest in Florida. At 1.7 million square feet it attracts approximately 20 million visitors annually. 12 In addition to the three mentioned above, there are 17 other malls in Florida with retail space profiles from 1 to 1.5 million square feet. 13 Although not technically classified as malls or shopping centers, there are also numerous major concentrated shopping destination sites throughout Florida that are in some ways similar to shopping malls. This includes specialty sites like those that concentrate on a particular category of goods (i.e. antiques and art work) as well a modern urban or destination centers that combine shopping, restaurants, and entertainment (e.g. Disney Springs and Panama City Beach Pier Park). (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 2

3 (U/FOUO) - In the way they are physically structured and operated malls represent soft targets for persons intending the initiation of violence. A review of a 2013 infrastructure survey of shopping centers indicates: 62% provided active CCTV monitoring; 5% provided firearm armed security guards; and 26% had onsite law enforcement. Although armed security guards and law enforcement were present at some malls that were surveyed, only 13% indicated they had the necessary onsite resources to initiate an armed response to an attack and 9% indicated they could respond to a bomb threat with onsite resources. Mall security plans had been coordinated and reviewed by local law enforcement at 72% of the facilities surveyed. 14 (U/FOUO) - In 2006, the RAND Corporation issued a report that analyzed shopping mall security options. RAND found that between 1998 and 2006 there had been 60 terrorist attacks at shopping centers in 21 countries. Three of the key points that RAND identified that made shopping mall security difficult, remain relevant today: Malls are reluctant to initiate access controls because unimpeded access increases customer satisfaction and customers have many choices about where to shop, including online shopping; Tenant and mall profits are in part a function of mall costs and tenants and mall operators are reluctant to reduce profits by increasing the cost of security; Owners, mall operators, and tenants operate in a multi-corporate complex decision structure that makes change difficult. 15 (U/FOUO) - Mall attacks in the United States will likely be carried out by solo homegrown violent extremists (HVE) influenced by foreign terrorist organizations as well as violent individuals with a wide variety of motives likely using edged weapons or firearms and attacking in ways that will result in the death of the attacker as well as mall patrons, employees and first responders. The history of U.S. mall attacks has primarily been lone active shooters attacking patrons for reasons other than domestic or foreign terrorism. The availability of firearms and the open nature of mall access combined will likely provide future opportunities for ongoing events of this type by individuals intending to commit violent acts unrelated to a terrorism act. In addition, because they are soft targets, the ongoing efforts of FTO to inspire HVE to conduct attacks within the U.S. against soft targets will likely result in additional HVE efforts to attack malls utilizing firearms and edged weapons especially during periods when there are high concentrations of mall patrons. (U/FOUO) Crime of all types, some involving firearms, occurs at shopping malls. More specifically the most likely criminal event unrelated to terrorism to cause death or injury at a shopping mall is an attack specifically directed at mall patrons. (U/FOUO) On November 26, 2016, workplace violence occurred inside a mall in Coral Springs, Florida. A USPER who owned a small business inside the mall shot and wounded his employee. The USPER subsequently committed suicide. The Coral Springs Police Department was investigating to determine a motive. 16 (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 3

4 (U/FOUO) A 20 year old USPER was arrested for a shooting that killed five people in a mall outside Seattle, Washington in September, The USPER had a history of domestic violence. According to open source reports, the USPER, an immigrant from Turkey as a child, had contact with Turkish relatives that may have had ties to ISIL, however, authorities did not link the attack to terrorism and no claim of a terrorist attack was made by the USPER. 18 (U/FOUO) - In November 2013, a USPER with a history of drug use who worked in a local pizza restaurant nearby, dressed in black and wearing a motorcycle helmet, walked around the Garden State Plaza mall in New Jersey shooting. No one was injured. The USPER appeared to intentionally avoid shooting persons. Law enforcement responded to the active shooter incident and the shooter was eventually found inside the mall, dead by suicide. 19 The incident was not terrorism related. (U/FOUO) - On December 11, 2012, a 22 year old male USPER with a stolen rifle, shot and killed two people, wounded one and committed suicide at Clackamas Town Center Mall near Portland, Oregon. Wearing a military style vest and a hockey mask, the USPER opened fire on the second floor near Macy s and the food court. The mall was occupied by about 10,000 shoppers at the time of the attack. 20 The incident was not terrorism related. (U/FOUO) - In December 2007, a 19 year old USPER in military style clothing using a semi-automatic rifle opened fire with the rifle from the third-floor balcony down at the shoppers in an Omaha shopping mall. He killed eight, wounded four, and committed suicide. 21 The USPER had a history of psychotherapy and drug counseling over a three year period in a residential treatment facility. The USPER left a suicide note and terrorism was not a motive for the attack. 22 (U/FOUO) - In February 2007, a 19 year old USPER who immigrated from Bosnia at age nine, wearing a trench coat and a backpack filled with ammunition, using a.38 caliber pistol and a shotgun, killed five persons and wounded four at Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. An off-duty police officer in the mall engaged fire with the USPER, which limited the USPER s mobility, until additional law enforcement arrived and killed the USPER in a fire fight. 23 The FBI analysis following the attack indicated that the shooting was not a foreign inspired terrorist act. Rather, according to the report, individuals that knew the USPER indicated he had a fascination with guns, and was prejudiced against Serbs, homosexuals and African Americans placing him in the category of lone offender. (U/FOUO) Shopping malls have become worldwide targets for terrorists. In the United States examples involving terrorism include the following: (U/FOUO) - In September 2016, the Amaq News Agency, an Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) propaganda operation, posted online that a soldier of the Islamic State committed the stabbing attack in the St. Cloud, Minnesota. A lone USPER HVE wearing a private security guard uniform made references to Allah and asked one victim if they were Muslim. Nine individuals were injured, none (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 4

5 died. The attacker was subsequently engaged, shot and killed by an off -duty law enforcement officer. 26 (U/FOUO) - In October 2009, a 27 year old USPER from Boston was arrested as part of a conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The USPER had been self-radicalized by jihadi videos and other online information. The USPER had traveled to the Middle East in 2004 to seek jihad training. One of his plans after his return to the U.S. was to attack a shopping mall with firearms. He was arrested before he could obtain the necessary firearms. 27 Another known USPER that was involved in the conspiracy to attack the mall became a member of ISIL in Iraq and was killed by a U.S. airstrike in June of (U/FOUO) - If U.S. homegrown violent extremists (HVE) adopt the tactics being used in other countries, malls in the homeland are vulnerable and may be subjected to escalated violence including attacks with explosive devices and attacks by multiple coordinated HVE attackers. Mall attacks utilizing explosive devices in the form of car bombs, planted IEDs, and suicide bombers are frequent and devastating occurrences worldwide. To date, no U.S. mall has been successfully attacked by terrorists with explosive devices. However, there have been planned attempts at utilizing explosive devices at a U.S. mall which have been thwarted by law enforcement. Because it is likely that successful mall attacks with explosive devices will continue on a worldwide basis, frequently with major consequences, and FTO will continue to encourage HVE to conduct terrorism attacks with explosives in the U.S. against soft targets, similar to the Boston Marathon and New York/ New Jersey attacks, it is likely that attacks against U.S. malls utilizing explosive devices may be attempted. (U/FOUO) - Examples of disrupted attacks by terrorists in the U.S. against shopping malls include: (U/FOUO) In December 2006, a USPER was arrested on charges of attempting to detonate hand grenades and use a hand gun to attack the CherryVale Mall in Rockford, Illinois. The USPER identified himself as a Muslim convert and wanted to conduct jihad against civilians at the mall on the Friday before Christmas because it would have a high concentration of shoppers. The USPER was arrested as part of an FBI sting operation. 29 (U/FOUO) - In In 2004, a Somali man with political asylum status in the U.S. was indicted for providing material support to al-qa ida. The indictment indicated he had traveled to Ethiopia in 1999 and 2000 for training in violent Jihad. The indictment also indicated that the Somali had been part of a plot with a Kashmiri born USPER who had met with Osama bin Laden and was planning an attack on the Brooklyn Bridge. When they discovered the bridge was impervious to their attack plans they made alternative plans with unnamed co-conspirators to blow up a Columbus, Ohio, area shopping mall. 30 (U/FOUO) Worldwide examples of successful terrorism events at shopping malls with explosive devices include: (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 5

6 (U/FOUO) - In July 2016, 115 people were killed and 187 wounded when a suicide bomber exploded a truck bomb adjacent to an open air shopping center in Baghdad. Numerous structures were destroyed. Following the blast there were large fires at the clothing and perfume stores. ISIL claimed responsibility. 31 (U/FOUO) - In January 2016, 18 people were killed and 50 were wounded in an attack on a shopping mall in the Shia district of Baghdad. The attack began with a car bomb, after which 6 attackers stormed the mall taking those inside hostage. Iraqi forces responded and killed two of the attackers and arrested the other four. In a separate incident on the same evening a car bomb detonated in an open air shopping center killing five and wounding 12. The attacks are believed to be the work of ISIL. 32 (U/FOUO) - In June 2015, an explosion killed 21 persons and injured 52 at the Banex Plaza Shopping mall in Abuja, Nigeria. The explosion occurred in late afternoon at the busiest part of the day. Boko Haram is suspected as the responsible party. Unconfirmed reports suggested the bomb was placed by an individual on a motor bike. 33 (U/FOUO) - In June 2015, suicide bombers drove a truck bomb into an open air shopping center in the town of Khan Beni Saad, Iraq and killed 115 persons. In addition, 170 individuals were wounded. The area was crowed because of celebrations at the end of Ramadan. The dead and injured included men, women and children the majority of whom were Shiite. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack. 34 (U/FOUO) - In February 2015, video containing images of the Kenya Westgate Mall attack, narrated by a male with a British accent wearing a kafffiyeh-type scarf and camouflage jacket, called for an attack on Western malls and specifically the Mall of America. The video, attributed to al-shabaab, showed a picture of the Mall of America and posted its GPS coordinates. 35 (U/FOUO) - In September 2014, 67 persons were killed and 176 injured when four al-shabaab (an al-qa ida affiliate) gunmen conducted a hostage-barricade style attack at the Israeli owned Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya. The gunmen used rifles and hand grenades in the attack. All four attackers were killed by government forces. (U/FOUO) - In July 2005, an 18 year old Islamic Jihad suicide bomber set off approximately 22 pounds of explosives in the Netanya Israel mall. Three women were killed and 30 individuals were wounded. The attack represents the third time the mall was attacked by suicide bombers since Because of past attacks, Israeli malls require multiple security checks including the opening of car trunks and metal detector screening for individuals before entry. The attacker was spotted by Israeli security at the glass door entrance check point to the mall, at which time he put his hand inside of his backpack and detonated the bomb. 39 (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 6

7 Implications U.S. shopping malls are soft targets that are vulnerable to active shooters with various motivations and to terrorism attacks with firearms and explosive devices. It is highly unlikely that U.S. malls will implement access control security changes similar to those found in Israel and even if such changes were implemented the Israeli experience indicates the possibility of terrorism attacks remains. Official intelligence gathering may identify potential threats and prevent attacks. However, it is unlikely that all attacks can be prevented and mall management and government officials should continue to engage in advanced planning and practice to respond to active shooters and explosive device attacks in the most effective way possible in order to reduce consequences if such attacks occur. If you would like more information about this product or if you have information that you would like posted in a product, please contact the Florida Fusion Center at (850) Send feedback comments or suggestions to: Fusionfeedback@fdle.state.fl.us (Please reference the Product #). Approval Authority: FL8519 Author: FL8548 Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement Source Reliability: Reliable Usually Reliable Unreliable Unknown Content Validity: Confirmed Probable Doubtful Cannot be determined Additional Information Classification Contains Personal Identifier Information (PII) Contains Information on US Person or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) HSEC-1 Cyber Attacks & Exploitation HSEC-6 Public Health Hazards HSEC-2 Disasters HSEC-3 Illicit Alien Operations HSEC-7 State- HSEC-8 Terrorist Sponsored Operations Operations HSEC-4 Illicit Commercial Operations HSEC-9 Transnational Organized Crime HSEC-5 Illicit Drug Operations HSEC-10 Weapons Proliferation/Illicit Operations Form Rev Fortune Magazine, accessed November 14, 2016, -shoppingretail-sales/ 2 Disis, Jill, November 27,2016, Black Friday 2016: More shoppers, less spending, CNN, accessed November 28, 2016, -friday-national-retailfederation/index.html (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 7

8 3 Disis, Jill, November 27,2016, Black Friday 2016: More shoppers, less spending, CNN, accessed November 28, 2016, 6/11/27/news/companies/black-friday-national-retailfederation/index.html 4 Davis, Robert C., March 2008, Shopping Malls: Are they Prepared to Prevent and Respond to Attack?, National Institute of Justice, accessed October 27, 2016, 5 Inspire, Interview with the AQ Chief, Winter 2014, 1436, Issue 13, 6 SCT Week, June 3, 2016, Centers top destinations for Americans, accessed October 12, 2016, f63ade63335a%40sessionmgr105&hid=102&bdata=jnnpdgu9ynnplwxpdmu%3d#db=bth&an= SCT Week, June 3, 2016, Centers top destinations for Americans, accessed October 12, 2016, d-43c f63ade63335a%40sessionmgr105&hid=102&bdata=jnnpdgu9ynnplwxpdmu%3d#db=bth&an= Bacon, John and Jackson, David, February 2015, Homeland Security chief: Be vigilant at malls, USA Today, accessed October 17, 2016, -ofamerica-tightens-security-terror-threat/ / 9 International Council of Shopping Centers, accessed November 14, 2016, 10 Metro Jacksonville, July 2013, accessed November 14, 2016, 11 Metro Jacksonville, July 2013, accessed November 14, 2016, 12 Simon Company, accessed November 14, 2016, -florida-mall/about 13 Metro Jacksonville, July 2013, accessed November 14, 2016, 14 (U//FOUO) Department of Homeland Security, October 2013, Protective Measures Analysis, Shopping Centers, accessed October 14, 2016, HSIN.dhs.gov 15 LaTourrete, Tom, Howell, David, Mosher, David, MacDonald John, 2006, Reducing Terrorism Risk at Shopping Centers An Analysis of Potential Security Options, RAND, accessed October 17, 2016, f 16 CBS, November 26, 2016, South Florida mall shooting: 1 dead, 1 injured, accessed November 28, 2016, 17 Mele, Christopher and Chokshi, Niraj, September 2016, Man, 20, in Custody After Fatal Shooting of 5 People at Mall Outside Seattle, accessed November 28, 2016, 18 Associated Press, November 2016, Suspect in mall shooting began at theater, had history of violence, accessed November 28, 2016, 19 Associated Press, November 4, 2013, Shooting puts New Jersey mall on lockdown; gunman found dead inside, accessed October 17, 2016, U.S. News, December 12, 2012, Oregon mall gunman identified; sheriff says he acted alone but motive unknown, accessed October 17, 2016, - oregon-mall-gunman-identified-sheriff-says-he-acted-alone-but-motive-unknown?lite 21 Fox News, December 6, 2007, Gunman Kills Eight, then Himself, at Omaha Shopping Mall, accessed October 17, 2016, -kills-eight-then-himself-at-omahashopping-mall.html 22 Konigsberg, Eric, December 8, 2007, From Troubled to Killer, Despite Many Efforts, accessed October 17, 2016, 23 Alfano, Sean, February 13, 2007, Police: Off-Duty Cop Saved Lives in Mall, CBSNEWS, accessed October 17, 2016, -off-duty-cop-saved-lives-in-mall/ (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 8

9 24 (U/FOUO) Domestic Terrorism and Homegrown Violent Extremism Lexicon, March 3, 2015, Department of Homeland Security 25 Carlisle, Nate, June 25, 2009, FBI found Talovic had a history with Trolley Square, The Salt Lake Tribune, accessed October 17, 2016, y.php?ref=/ci_ Volz, Dustin and Dobuzinskis, Alex, September 2016, Islamic State claims responsibility for Minnesota mall attack, Reuters, accessed October 17, 2016, -minnesota-mallstabbings-iduskcn11o04s 27 United States Attorney s Office, October 21, 209, Massachusetts Man Charged with Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists, Federal Bureau of Investigation, accessed October 17, 2016, 28 Boston Globe, June 2015, Mass. Man accused of aiding ISIS killed in Iraq, reports say, accessed October 17, 2016, -abousamra 29 NBC NEWS, December 2006, Man arrested for alleged holiday bomb plot, accessed October 18, 2016, -security/t/man-arrested-alleged-holiday-bombplot/#.wazwbkszwag 30 Schmidt, Susan, June 15, 2004, Somali Man charged in Plot to Bomb Ohio Mall, accessed October 17, 2016, 31 Michaels, Jim, Ventura, Charles and Associated Press, July 2016, Baghdad suicide bombing kills 115,; ISIL claims responsibility, USA Today, accessed October 18, 2016, 32 Associated Press, January , Daesh claims it carried out al-jawhara mall attack in Baghdad that leaves 18 dead, World News, accessed October 17, 2016, 33 BBC News, June 25, 2014, Nigeria: Abuja bomb blast in Wuse district kills 21, accessed October 17, 2016, 34 Associated Press, July 2015, 115 people killed in ISIS car bomb attack after truck loaded with explosives was detonated in crowded marketplace in Iraq, Daily Mail.com, accessed October 18, 2016, 35 Fox News, February 2015, Al Shabaab calls for attack on Mall of America in new video, accessed October 18, 2016, -shabaab-reportedly-calls-for-attack-onmall-america-in-new-video.html 36 National consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, September 2013, accessed October 18, 2016, hments/startbackgroundreport_al ShabaabKenya_Sept2013.pdf 37 Pflanz, Mike, March 2014, Nairobi s Westgate mall attack: six months later, troubling questions weigh heavily. Christian Science Monitor, accessed October 18, 2016, Africa/2014/0321/Nairobi-s-Westgate-mall-attack-six-months-latertroubling-questions-weigh-heavily 38 Wilson, Scott, July 2005, Suicide bomber Kills 3 In Israel, Washington Post Foreign Service, accessed October 18, 2016, 39 Associated Press, December 2015, Suicide bomber strikes mall in Netanya, Israel, MSN ABC NEWS, accessed October 18, 2016, - mideast_n_africa/t/suicide-bomber-strikes-mall-netanya-israel/#.wazivkszwag (Unclassified//For Official Use Only) 9