(Daily360.com) The United States is at the highest risk level for a potential terrorist attack with warning signs that are similar to what intelligence agencies had before the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Eight individuals from Tajikistan were arrested in early June and reportedly were planning a terrorist attack. The FBI had been investigating the Tajik eight for “quite some time” as they had entered the country more than a year before their arrests in June 2024.
ICE did not arrest the Tajik men until they were given information from the FBI that the individuals are connected to the Islamist terror group ISIS. This investigation has sparked concerns from lawmakers regarding the southern border patrol’s capabilities in identifying potential terrorists. Rep Mike Turner of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee used this information as the basis of raising the terrorism risk level.
Border patrol agents released the eight men into the country as per the Biden administration’s border policy. The individuals are given a “notice to appear” before being freed on U.S. soil. The border patrol agents vetted the individuals, but did not find any association with ISIS. After an FBI investigation into the foreign nationals, they found the link to ISIS that eventually led to the arrests on immigration-related charges.
Rep Turner stressed that a terrorism threat is not “speculative” now that this information has been revealed. Turner referred to the Biden administration’s border policies as allowing immigrants to come in without being properly vetted. He added that there are terrorists working within the U.S. that are an active threat to the American people.
Paul Mauro, a retired counterterrorism expert, said there are many threats that are converging to increase the potential of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. He said terrorists are likely to come from “hot spots,” which are highly conflicted areas. This includes the middle east and Gaza, where there has been heavy criticism of Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks. He said the southern border is a weak point that is allowing potential terrorists into the country.
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