Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade considered attractive terror target: report

Investigators behind a joint NYPD and FBI threat assessment warn that domestic and foreign terrorists could target the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, according to a new report.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is expected to attract 2 million spectators from across the United States and a national television audience. Around 10,000 demonstrators are planned, who will also come from all over the country.

This year’s rehearsal photos feature the Sioux Falls Lincoln Patriot Marching Band from South Dakota, the Minuteman Marching Band from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, high schoolers from Georgia, New Jersey and Arizona, the Texas-based Spirit of America cheer squad and more.

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People watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/File)

“The men and women of the NYPD look forward to welcoming the millions of viewers who will join in the Thanksgiving celebrations this week,” Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard told Fox News. “And while there are currently no credible or specific threats to any individual event or to New York City in general, law enforcement will continue to work with our state and federal colleagues to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday season for all the people we serve to ensure.” “

However, according to ABC News’ assessment, the parade could be an attractive soft target for domestic and foreign terrorists.

“Although the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will provide a wide range of potential soft targets for an attack, crowded areas where most people congregate — particularly designated viewing areas — are likely the most vulnerable locations to a mass casualty attack,” according to the outlet .

An NYPD document reviewed by Fox News Digital shows that police had prepared for a range of potential threats, ranging from homegrown domestic terrorists to foreign extremists — and non-terror criminals, too. Investigators noted the attack on the Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, in which career criminal Darrell Brooks Jr. broke through light barricades and then mowed down dozens of people, killing six people and injuring more than 60 others.

The Lake Hamilton High School Marching Band rehearses for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2024 in New York City. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

Investigators warned of an ongoing terrorist threat from ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

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However, the authors did not identify any specific threats to the parade. They urged caution and preparedness.

This view shows the Tiptoe float during rehearsals of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2024 in New York City. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

They warned of a possible vehicle attack, like the Islamic State group-inspired truck attack on a bike path in Manhattan in 2017. In that incident, a radicalized lone gunman named Sayfullo Saipov killed eight and injured 13 others when he drove a car into the victims rented low loader broke in. Saipov was convicted and received 10 consecutive life sentences and an additional 260 years in prison.

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To curb similar attacks, authorities say they plan to cordon off intersections with garbage trucks and other obstacles.

The NYPD is accustomed to operating in such a threat environment and has an extensive intelligence operation that includes data collection at home and abroad.

Disney characters rehearse for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2024 in New York City. (John Nacion/Getty Images)

Last year, anti-Israel agitators disrupted the parade with chants and banners, and some of them even stuck to the streets along the parade route.

Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, an anti-Semitic terrorist group that attacked the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, has sparked protests and increased terror threats worldwide.

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The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloonfest preview will be shown on November 2, 2024 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s)

At a joint news conference last week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams said both city and state police were monitoring threats at home and abroad.

Macy’s first Thanksgiving Day Parade took place 100 years ago on November 27, 1924. Since then it has taken place every year, except during World War II.

“The NYPD has provided security for the Thanksgiving parade since its inception,” said John Macari, a retired NYPD lieutenant who has marched in the parade many times throughout his career. “The NYPD has numerous concerns every year, ranging from traffic safety to, God forbid, terrorist attacks.”

Protests occur, such as the glue incident last year. Balloons have been released by the wind – with fatal consequences.

“I have every confidence that the NYPD will ensure the safety of parade-goers in the same manner it always has,” Macari said.

The Big Apple is expected to be rainy and chilly this year, according to a forecast from FOX Weather. There is an impending threat of a winter storm in the Northeast, but winds are not expected to increase until late afternoon. Temperatures around 45 degrees are expected.

The parade starts at 8:30 a.m