Report highlights growing terror threats

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released Tuesday its latest report documenting terror threats from Islamist terrorists, noting the efforts are growing.

McCaul presented the September Terror Threat Snapshot as part of an ongoing effort to highlight the growing threat America, the West, and the world face from ISIS and other terrorist groups.

The report cites a series of situations that occurred the previous month to heighten awareness, officials said.

Such terror events outlined in the snapshot included the Aug. 13 designation of Qassim Abdullah Ali Ahmed by the State Department as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) for his role as a leader in the Iranian-backed Al Ashtar Brigades, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. On Aug. 21, Ibrahim al-Asiri, chief Al Qaeda bomb-maker, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, with officials reporting he was one of the most sophisticated terrorist bomb-makers on the planet and was behind several high-profile incidents.

Additionally, on Aug. 22, the leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, released an audio message calling for more homeland attacks in the West. On Aug. 31, two Americans were injured in a stabbing attack at the main train station in Amsterdam that Dutch officials said had a terrorist motive.