Macy’s Thanksgiving parade could be target of terrorist threats, officials warn

(NEW YORK) — The 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade may be an attractive target for both foreign and domestic terroristic violence, according to a joint threat assessment obtained by ABC News.

Among the most significant threats facing the nation’s largest Thanksgiving celebration “stems from lone offenders and small groups of individuals seeking to commit acts of violence,” according to the report put out by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and New York Police Department.

There is not a “specific, actionable threat,” but the document raises a particular concern about vehicle ramming, which “has become a recurring tactic employed by threat actors” looking to target crowded pedestrian areas. The NYPD will have sanitation trucks and other so-called “blocker vehicles” deployed along the route, the report states.

The 98th annual parade steps off at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and proceeds along a 2 1/2-mile route toward Herald Square.

The parade is expected to draw 2 million spectators and 10,000 participants.

There are 17 featured character balloons, 22 floats, 15 heritage and novelty balloons, more than 700 clowns, 11 marching bands, 10 performance groups and, of course, Santa Claus to close it out. There are six new featured character balloons, including Disney’s Minnie Mouse and Marvel’s Spider-Man.

“Though the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade event will provide a broad set of potential soft targets for an attack, congested areas where the largest amount of people gather — particularly designated viewing areas — are likely the most vulnerable spots for a mass casualty attack,” the assessment said.

After pro-Palestinian protesters glued their hands to the pavement along the parade route last year, law enforcement agencies said they “remain concerned that malicious actors may seek to engage in public safety disruptions, including attempting to block ingress and egress paths and roadways around the event and major transportation locations.”