The June Terror Threat Snapshot was released today by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX). The "snapshot" is a monthly Committee assessment of the growing threat America, the West, and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists.
Chairman McCaul: "We face a challenging threat environment here at home as Islamist extremists abroad have dug into their core sanctuaries and expanded into new territory. ISIS sympathizers and fighters continue to wreak havoc, launching murderous attacks from Baghdad to Brussels to San Bernardino. ISIS remains entrenched in its core bases in Raqqa and Mosul while it exploits vacuums to expand its networks in places like North Africa. Al Qaeda and its affiliates also pose a continuing threat as they operate from safe havens, including in Syria and Yemen. Meanwhile, the world's primary state sponsor of terror, Iran, has seized on American retreat to enhance its capabilities and advance its nefarious agenda. This moment demands true leadership and a vision for a global order that secures us and our allies."
Key takeaways in this month's Terror Threat Snapshot:
ISIS and its global affiliates pose a persistent threat, including here in the U.S. where authorities are investigating more than 800 ISIS-linked cases.
ISIS and al Qaeda maintain safe havens from where they can recruit, train, and deploy operatives to launch attacks in the West.
Waves of dangerous foreign fighters are returning home from Syria and Iraq, particularly to Europe, where Islamist terror operatives have infiltrated borders by posing as refugees.
A terrorist whom President Obama released from Guantanamo in 2012 has assumed an increasingly prominent role with al Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, highlighting the threat of recidivism among former detainees.
The Iranian regime's support for terror continues unabated, including in Syria where its intervention empowers ISIS and al Qaeda.