U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Monday released the committee’s terror threat snapshot for the month of August, which serves as a monthly assessment of the growing threat America and its allies face from Islamist terrorist organizations.
“The recent ISIS attacks in France and Germany and the arrests of nine ISIS-linked individuals inside the U.S. this past month underscore the acute threat we face from radical Islamist terrorists,” McCaul said. “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.”
Key findings of the report include evidence of “safe havens” for ISIS and al-Qaeda to launch their external operations, high recidivism rates of former Guantanamo Bay detainees, evidence that the Iranian regime continues to host senior al-Qaeda members in Iran, and evidence that Islamist terror operatives deployed posing as refugees and radicalized refugees have conducted attacks inside Europe.