Islamist jihadi “operatives deployed posing as refugees and radicalized refugees have conducted attacks inside Europe, [and] ISIS’s unprecedented social media capabilities and propaganda are also accelerating its ability to inspire global audiences,” according to the August Terror Threat Snapshot released by House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
The “snapshot” is a monthly committee assessment of the growing threat America, the West and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists.
The latest “Terror Snapshot” also stated that:
- Islamist terrorists have waged a deadly campaign of violence, particularly in Europe where ISIS-linked terrorists launched four separate attacks over a two-week period in July. ISIS supporters in France killed a priest in Normandy and dozens of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice; in Germany, they conducted two separate attacks. These strikes in Europe followed what was the deadliest post-9/11 Islamist terror attack onAmerican soil in June;
- ISIS and Al Qaeda continue to operate in safe havens that can serve as launching padsfor external operations. ISIS’s unprecedented social media capabilities and propaganda are also accelerating its ability to inspire global audiences;
- The Obama administration has continued to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees overseas despite an alarming recidivism rate among former detainees. Less than 80 detainees remain at the terror detention facility; around a third of them have reportedly been cleared for transfer; and
- The Iranian regime continues to host senior al Qaeda members in Iran. Several Al Qaeda members involved in financial and weapons transfers are actively operating inside Iran.
“The recent ISIS attacks in France and Germany and the arrests of nine ISIS-linked individuals inside the US this past month underscore the acute threat we face from radical Islamist terrorists,” McCaul said, nothing, “These jihadists have set deep roots in key sanctuaries across the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa, while extending their deadly reach across the globe using their operatives and supporters. Our enemies – whether ISIS, Al Qaeda, or the world’s primary state sponsor of terror in Iran – have clearly capitalized on several years of failed policies and passivity. Reversing this disastrous course is an urgent national security imperative for the United States and our allies.”
Citing FBI Director James Comey, it’s estimated in May 2016 that about 80 percent of the FBI’s more than 1,000 active homegrown Islamist jihadi investigations are linked to ISIS. Comey stated in July that attacks directed or inspired by ISIS represent “the greatest threat to the physical safety of Americans today.”
“Since September 11, 2001, there have been at least 163 homegrown jihadist plots in the United States, including attempts to join terrorist groups overseas and execute attacks at home, and more than 86 percent of these cases have occurred or been uncovered since 2009, the “Terror Snapshot” stated.
In addition, the committee’s snapshot reported, “Authorities have arrested 102 individuals in the US and charged 3 others in absentia in ISIS-linked cases since 2014. These individuals had, among other acts: plotted attacks; attempted to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria (or facilitated others’ travel); provided money, equipment and weapons to ISIS; and falsified statements to federal authorities. Seven ISIS-linked terrorists have been killed while carrying out five separate attacks in California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Texas.”
Further, the snapshot stated, “Nearly 90 percent of the ISIS supporters charged in the US are male and approximately 35 percent of them are converts to Islam, and their average age is 26.3. Nearly one-third of the ISIS-linked individuals charged were involved in plotting attacks in the on American soil.
