The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday announced heightened security measures at federal buildings in the District and nationwide, citing the recent shooting at the Canadian Parliament and threats from terrorist groups to attack the homeland. 
 
 DHS officials emphasized that the step was precautionary and not based on any intelligence about a specific terrorist plot. Rather, they said, the shootings in Canada and other events such as the ongoing U.S. bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria dictated that more security would be a wise measure. The increased security started over the weekend but was only announced Tuesday because of its sensitivity, they said.​ 
 
 “This is a precautionary step to safeguard U.S. government personnel and facilities, and the visitors to those facilities,’’ said a senior DHS official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The changes are “not based on any specific, credible information at this time indicating any active plot against government officials and law enforcement in the United States.’’ 
 
 
 
 Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced heightened security at federal buildings nationwide on Tuesday. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta) 
 
 In announcing the raised security alert, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said: “The reasons for this action are self-evident: the continued public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on the homeland and elsewhere, including against law enforcement and other government officials, and the acts of violence targeted at government personnel and installations in Canada and elsewhere recently. ‘’ 
 
 “Given world events,’’ Johnson said, “prudence dictates a heightened vigilance in the protection of U.S. government installations and our personnel. 
 
 Johnson and other officials would not detail the new security measures or which government buildings will be affected, other than saying they will be buildings in D.C. and other major cities and locations around the country. “The precise actions we are taking and the precise locations at which we will enhance security is law-enforcement sensitive, will vary and shift from location to location, and will be continually re-evaluated,’’ Johnson said. 
 
 The DHS action, which will be carried out by the Federal Protective Service — which guards more than 9,500 federal facilities passed through by 1.4 million visitors or occupants daily — followed last week’s shocking violence in Canada. In Ottawa, the capital, a gunman killed an honor guard soldier and then opened fire inside the nearby Parliament building. 
 
 Gunfire rocked the core of Canada’s government and set off a chaotic scene across downtown Ottawa, in a country that rarely sees gun violence. 
 
 President Obama condemned the violence, saying “Obviously we’re all shaken by it.” ||||| But after a video from terror group Al-Shabaab calling for attacks on shopping malls in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, how worried should shoppers be? 
 
 Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told CNN Sunday that there's "no credible or specific evidence" suggesting a U.S. mall attack is in the works. But he warned Americans to watch out. 
 
 "If anyone is planning to go to the Mall of America today," he said, "they've got to be particularly careful." 
 
 The Minnesota mall is among those mentioned in the video the Somalia-based terror group apparently posted on Saturday. The video talks about Al-Shabaab's September 2013 attack at an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, calling for similar attacks in the three Western countries. More than 60 people were killed in the Kenyan mall siege, which lasted four days. 
 
 CNN is only naming the malls that have responded publicly to the terror group's video threat. 
 
 Mall of America said it's aware that the video lists it as a potential target. 
 
 "We take any potential threat seriously and respond appropriately," the Minnesota mall said in a statement. "We have implemented extra security precautions; some may be noticeable to guests, and others won't be." 
 
 The FBI and Homeland Security issued a joint written statement saying local law enforcement and first responders have been told the agencies are not "aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center." 
 
 The police department in Bloomington, Minnesota, which regularly patrols the mall, also said there was no credible threat against it, describing the mall as a "very safe place." 
 
 "Enhanced security measures to include additional personnel have been implemented and all information is being monitored," police said in a statement Sunday. 
 
 Stressing that there is no known credible threat to any mall, Johnson also cautioned, "I won't know about when the next bad actor is going to strike." 
 
 Another U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the situation also told CNN that there is no actual working threat against any mall in the country and added that no one should avoid going to a mall because of the online threat. 
 
 A top Canadian official condemned the video , saying authorities there are monitoring threats and will take "the appropriate actions" to protect public safety. 
 
 "Canada will not be intimidated by threats from any terrorist organization," Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said. 
 
 Bulletin to police: No indication of ongoing plot 
 
 A joint intelligence bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI states there is no indication of an ongoing plot from Al-Shabaab in the United States, according to two law enforcement officials who have seen it. 
 
 The bulletin, sent to law enforcement around the country, urges vigilance against a lone wolf-type attack that the group's latest video message could inspire. 
 
 The intelligence assessment, the bulletin says, is that there is no credible specific threat to malls in the United States. 
 
 The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI believe the video was an attempt by Al-Shabaab to compete for attention and recruits with other terrorist groups, one official said. 
 
 JUST WATCHED 'Lone wolf' attacks: Harder to predict Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH 'Lone wolf' attacks: Harder to predict 02:16 
 
 Al-Shabaab's strength is compromised, a U.S. law enforcement official told CNN, and while the group has the desire to see a mall attack in the United States, it likely doesn't have the capability to do so. 
 
 "There will be enhanced security (at malls)," Johnson said, "but public vigilance, public awareness and public caution in situations like this is particularly important, and it's the environment we're in, frankly." 
 
 A short time later, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tanya Bradsher told CNN that Johnson "didn't say that they should not go to the mall. He told shoppers to be extra vigilant and that security was increased." 
 
 Minnesota governor's office: We're monitoring the situation 
 
 Matt Swenson, a spokesman for Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, said the governor is "monitoring this situation, and will continue to consult the guidance of federal, state and local law enforcement officials, who are working together to assure the safety of all Minnesotans." 
 
 Security concerns didn't stop shoppers from packing the Mall of America on Sunday, CNN affiliate WCCO reported 
 
 Some shoppers were taking the situation in stride. Others said they were concerned about the threat. 
 
 "I'm scared, because I have kids," Brittany Segler told WCCO. 
 
 Canadian mall steps up security 
 
 The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, which was also listed in the Al-Shabaab video, said it has implemented extra security and is working with federal and local law enforcement agencies. 
 
 Edmonton police said there was "no imminent threat" to the city, Canadian broadcaster CBC reported 
 
 "This was a very general comment ... it wasn't a specific threat," Brian Simpson, deputy chief of the Edmonton Police Service, told CBC. "However, we as a policing agency (are) absolutely paying attention to this." 
 
 In the United Kingdom, Metropolitan Police Counter Terror Command said it is aware of the Al-Shabaab video. 
 
 The FBI has a program to work with various malls around the country to improve security, the law enforcement official also told CNN. 
 
 After the 2013 Nairobi attack, the bureau worked with some malls last year to test the readiness of SWAT teams by staging fake attacks during hours when malls were closed, the official said. 
 
 Al-Shabaab's previous targets 
 
 Although Al-Shabaab has also targeted youth in Canada, Finland and the UK for recruitment, its past attacks have been limited to East Africa. 
 
 But the Somalia-based militants have heavily recruited in Minneapolis, where young men have been slipping away to join the terror group. The city is home to the largest Somali population in the United States. 
 
 In addition to Kenya and Somalia, Al-Shabaab has also struck in Uganda, where it killed more than 70 people gathered to watch a World Cup soccer match in Kampala five years ago. Kenya and Uganda have sent their forces to neighboring Somalia to battle the extremists. 
 
 As the attacks get more daring, the international community has rallied to fight the militants. 
 
 Last year, the U.S. launched an airstrike in Somalia that killed the Al-Shabaab leader. The terror group later replaced him and vowed to avenge his death. 
 
 Al-Shabaab started off with a goal of waging a war against the Somali government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or Sharia. 
 
 It has since shifted focus to terrorist attacks in Somalia and beyond. ||||| Visitors pose for a family photograph in front of an entrance to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota July 2, 2013. 
 
 WASHINGTON The U.S. Homeland Security Department said on Sunday it was not aware of any specific plot against U.S. shopping malls, backing away from comments by the department's chief that he takes seriously a threat by Somali-based Islamist militants against the Mall of America in Minnesota and other shopping sites in the West. 
 
 Some U.S. and Canadian officials had earlier cast doubt on the credibility of the threat made in a video attributed to al Shabaab, which appeared to call for attacks on Western shopping areas, specifically mentioning Mall of America, the West Edmonton Mall in Canada, London's Oxford Street and sites in Paris. 
 
 Asked on the CNN program "State of the Union" on Sunday morning about the threat to Mall of America, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said: "Anytime a terrorist organization calls for an attack on a specific place, we've got to take that seriously." 
 
 He advised people going to the Mall of America, which is one of the world's largest shopping areas, to be particularly careful. 
 
 Hours later, Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Marsha Catron said the department and the FBI had shared information about the video with local law enforcement and "private sector partners." 
 
 "As a general matter, however, we are not aware of any specific, credible plot against the Mall of America or any other domestic commercial shopping center," she said in a statement. 
 
 One U.S. intelligence official said security officials are indeed worried about the risk of an attack on U.S. soil by a solitary militant, but al Shabaab as a group has not appeared to gain much traction with most Somalis in the West, including in Minneapolis. 
 
 "In balance, I don't think this video adds much on top of the ubiquitous 'lone offender' threat,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. 
 
 Staff Sergeant Brent Meyer of Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police said "there is no evidence at this time of any specific or imminent threat to Canadians." In Britain, a spokesman said London police were aware of the video and were assessing it. 
 
 Mall of America and West Edmonton Mall issued statements saying they were implementing extra security measures. 
 
 Minnesota is home to a sizeable Somali-American population. U.S. law-enforcement officials have been concerned about the potential for radicalization among some of the community. 
 
 A Minnesota man was indicted last week on charges of conspiring to support Islamic State and lying to federal agents investigating recruitment by militant groups. 
 
 Prosecutors said dozens of people from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, many of them Somali-Americans, have traveled or attempted to travel overseas to support militant groups such as Islamic State or al Shabaab since 2007. 
 
 "This latest statement from al Shabaab reflects the new phase we’ve evolved to in the global terrorist threat, in that you have groups such as al Shabaab and ISIL publicly calling for independent actors in their homelands to carry out attacks," Johnson told CNN, using an acronym for Islamic State. 
 
 Privately owned Mall of America, located in Bloomington, near Minneapolis, has about 40 million visitors a year, and contributes nearly $2 billion in annual economic activity to the state of Minnesota, according to its website. Major stores in the complex include retailers Aeropostale (ARO.N), H&M; (HMb.ST) and Macy's (M.N). 
 
 The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta gets about 30.8 million visitors a year, according to its website. Oxford Street is one of London's busiest shopping areas, home to several large department stores. 
 
 Al Shabaab was behind a 2013 attack on the high-end Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya that killed 67 people, raising fears about mall safety around the world. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Mark Hosenball in Washington, Jeffrey Hodgson in Toronto and Todd Melby in Bloomington, Minnesota; Editing by Robin Pomeroy, Stephen Powell, Mohammad Zargham and Frances Kerry)
– Security has been beefed up at federal buildings across the country—not because of any specific threat, but because of "world events," the Department of Homeland Security says. The Federal Protective Service, which guards more than 9,500 federal courthouses and other buildings nationwide, boosted security measures over the weekend, days after a gunman made it into Canada's Parliament building, reports the Washington Post. "The reasons for this action are self-evident: the continued public calls by terrorist organizations for attacks on the homeland and elsewhere, including against law enforcement and other government officials, and the acts of violence targeted at government personnel and installations in Canada and elsewhere recently," DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement. The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security hailed the move, while Johnson urged state and local security officials to also prepare for "potential small-scale attacks by a lone offender or a small group of individuals," USA Today reports.