Las Vegas police boosts security following release of new ISIS propaganda video

Las Vegas police have stepped up security in the city after the Islamic State released a new propaganda video calling for lone wolf attacks while showing a brief clip of the city's famed Strip.

The 44-minute propaganda video that was posted on Telegram on May 17 showed a 2015 footage of the Las Vegas Strip, along with images of other cities such as New York and Washington, D.C.

According to the Daily Mail, the video featured militants from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Russia and Belgium, who are urging Muslims in the West to carry out attacks on civilians.

A man who is purportedly American also appears in the video, urging ISIS supporters to "liberate" themselves and kill those who reject Islam by stabbing them, throwing them off buildings and running over citizens with vehicles. The man, identified by the terror group as Abu Hamza al-Amriki, is seen in the video showing off a cache of weapons, including rocket launchers and projectile missile launchers, which he claimed were manufactured in the U.S.

The unusually long propaganda video also featured ISIS spokesman Abu Al-Hassan Al-Muhajir, who is heard calling for lone wolf attacks in America, Russia and Europe.

The authorities are taking the video seriously, as hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to visit the city for Memorial Day weekend.

"I think anytime somebody goes on the internet and makes a threat that they're going to conduct a lone-wolf or any type of attack, it's our responsibility to view it as a credible threat," Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Christopher Darcy told Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"It would be irresponsible not to take any threat as credible, especially when made by a group such as ISIS, who has in fact carried out attacks in the past," he added.

The police have stepped up patrols and surveillance on the Strip, downtown and at local community events in order to make the valley a "hardened target."

Darcy, who heads the Southern Nevada Counter-Terrorism Center, urged the public to report anything suspicious.

"Las Vegas continues to be an event destination — one of the world's greatest event destinations. We have to continue to maintain safety and (create) new ways to ensure the safety of the folks that are attending these events," Darcy said.