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No Threat To Chicago Festivals After Attack In Manchester, Rahm Says

By  Heather Cherone and David Matthews | May 23, 2017 3:50pm 

 There is no credible threat to summer festivals in Chicago after a terrorist attack in Manchester that killed 22 people leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.
There is no credible threat to summer festivals in Chicago after a terrorist attack in Manchester that killed 22 people leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.
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DNAinfo/David Matthews

WEST LOOP — There is "no credible threat" to summer festivals in Chicago after a terrorist attack in Manchester that killed 22 people leaving an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.

After unveiling the food lineup for the Taste of Chicago, Emanuel repeated three times that there was no credible threat to any event in Chicago — but vowed city officials would remain vigilant in the face of terrorist threats.

Alicia Tate-Nadeau, the executive director of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications, spoke with the FBI on a conference call after the attack, Emanuel said.

"There is no credible threat to the city of Chicago, let me repeat that," Emanuel said. "We practice all the time and review if there are any new lessons to learn based on new tactics by foreign entities like ISIS or others."

That vigilance is designed to assure Chicagoans that they can not only go about their "daily life but enjoying all the experiences you can in a wonderful world-class city like the city of Chicago."

Emanuel said the thoughts and prayers of the people of Chicago were with the people of Manchester, particularly with parents who were waiting to hear if their children were among the dead or 59 people wounded after a suicide bomber struck a plaza outside Manchester Arena just as the concert ended.

The Islamic State, or ISIS, has claimed responsibility for the attack. U.S. intelligence officials have not verified that claim.