Efforts to enhance vetting of travelers to the United States, to intercept ISIS fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq, and to remain vigilant of “homegrown violent extremists” highlighted a Terror Threat Snapshot released by the House Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
Key developments from a hearing on worldwide threats that the committee convened in November are summarized in the report. It also outlines attacks carried out by extremists in Afghanistan and Egypt in November.
“While we have crushed the caliphate in Iraq and Syria, ISIS remains a threat worldwide,” U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the committee, said. “The loss of the terrorist safe haven that ISIS once enjoyed is forcing the group the shift tactics and strategies. We can already see these changes evidenced by their calls for violence in America and Europe during this holiday season.”
Department of Homeland Security Acting Director Elaine Duke testified in November that security checkpoints around the world are being modernized. That’s helped better screen international travelers bound for the United States.
“Security checks are being brought into the digital age with measures like continuous immigration vetting, a real-time, systematic process that constantly analyzes visa files against law enforcement and intelligence holdings to identify possible matches to derogatory information,” Duke said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray highlighted the importance of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in averting terrorist attacks in testimony before the committee.
“Section 702 is a critical tool that the intelligence community uses properly to target non-U.S. persons located outside the United States to acquire information vital to our national security,” Wray said. “To protect privacy and civil liberties, this program has operated under strict rules and been carefully overseen by all three branches of the government.”
National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen testified during the hearing on worldwide threats about ongoing efforts to root out homegrown violent extremists (HVEs).
“What we have seen over time is that HVEs — either lone actors or small insular groups — tend to gravitate toward soft targets and simple tactics of opportunity that do not require advanced skills or outside training,” Rasmussen said. “We expect that most HVEs will continue to focus on soft target, while still considering traditional targets, such as military personnel, law enforcement and other symbols of the U.S. government.”
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary James Mattis testified that “ISIS remains a threat to stability in the recently liberated areas, as well as our homelands” despite the U.S.-led coalition recapturing Raqqa.
“We are stabilizing the territory liberated from ISIS through continued engagement with our Iraqi partners,” Mattis said. “ISIS is opposed to all nations’ civilized values, and we must remain focused on the common threat: denying them their sick and twisted objectives.”
The Terror Threat Snapshot also notes that efforts to counter ISIS’ online presence have been stepped up. Although social media companies have worked to remove radical propaganda from their platforms, however, the terrorist network continues to use social media to spread its message.
“As we near the one year anniversary of the Berlin Christmas market attack, we are reminded that jihadis will continue to target the West,” McCaul said. “We must remain vigilant and strengthen our security to prevent more people from being radicalized and do all we can to thwart potential attacks.”