CNN "Wolf" - Transcript: Islamic State Lone Wolves

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BLITZER: The Canadian prime minister, Stephen Harper, speaking out about Canada's resolve in following yesterday's shocking attack.

Joining us now from Long Island, New York, is Republican Congressman Peter King. He's a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, as well as the Intelligence Committee.

Congressman, the prime minister of Canada says this was an act of terror. Do you have any reason to doubt that?

REP. PETER KING, R-NEW YORK: No, Wolf. The more evidence that comes in made it, to me, more and more clear that this was an act of Islamic terrorism. The question would be, was he acting on his own, was he acting in concert with others or do we have a loose confederation with other Islamists. There's no doubt to me that right now this is an act of Islamist terrorism.

BLITZER: So -- but did he -- was he simply inspired by what he was reading on the Internet or was he actively being coordinated, getting information from various sources out there, whether ISIS or some other terrorist group?

KING: Wolf, right now we don't know yet. It's very seldom that someone is an absolute lone wolf. I know we use that term a lot, but I would say, in many of these cases, you find that the so-called lone wolf actually knows other who are involved in the movement. Some may take direction. They just may have a loose alliance. So it's a combination of being inspired, of meeting with others.

And now I understand, you know, just from your own reporting, CNN's own reporting, that he has had contact, over the last several months, with other pro-Islamists and that's one of the reason why his passport was taken away. So I wouldn't say that -- right now, again, you know, we don't know, but I would doubt, that he has been acting entirely on his own. He may have carried out these particular actions on his own, but I would say that he's been in contact with other jihadists over the last several months and they inspire one another, they probably share ideas with one another. So I would, right now, if I had to bet, I'd say that's what it's going to turn out to be. But again, you know, there could be more to it, there could be less. But at the very least, he is some sort of Islamic jihadist.

BLITZER: Well, your committee oversees the Department of Homeland Security, the intelligence community, the intelligence committee that you serve under.

KING: Right.

BLITZER: What lessons do you think the U.S. should be learning about what happened in Ottawa yesterday?

KING: It should be a wakeup to the American people, to the media. I think the people in the intelligence and law enforcement communities already have known how dangerous the threat from ISIS is. And the threat not just from ISIS itself, but for those it may inspire or those who may ally themselves with ISIS. I mean, to me, I don't think it's just a coincidence that after Canada agreed to join with us in the air strikes and after ISIS was putting out statements that in the last three days we've seen, you know, the two attacks on the Canadian military.

So we are very concerned about both Canada and the United States, who could be a so-called lone wolf in this country. He was either acting alone or inspired. What actual attacks would be planned against the U.S. Remember, there's 2,500 Europeans who are in ISIS who can travel to the U.S. without getting a visa. There's a number of Americans who have gone over who can come back and fight without -- come back here on their own American passports and so we have got to be concerned about -- and those who just could be supporters here that we don't know about.

And that's why it's so important, Wolf, I know the Canadian prime minister was saying that, you know, they may have to change their laws. I don't think we have to change our laws in this country. I just think we have to put aside a lot of the political correctness because we can have all the technology in the world and that's important and that's been hurt, by the way, by the Snowden disclosures, it's made it harder for us to intercept what's happening overseas and when terrorist overseas could be making contacts here in this country that's harder to follow because they changed their methods.

But also I think we have to see increased surveillance similar to what the NYPD was doing in the Muslim community. So we'll have a head start as to who might be a so-called lone wolf, or what small groups could be working together. Because, again, you know, you can look on the Internet to see what they're saying, but they've learned not always to go on the Internet. And that's why it's important, like in the Boston massacre, if the Boston Police had been told what the FBI knew, they may well have been able to stop the Boston Marathon bombing because they would have known what was going on in the mosque where the older Tsarnaev brother was preaching jihad.

BLITZER: All right. And we only have a few seconds, so very quickly.

KING: Sure.

BLITZER: Do you have confidence that President Obama and his administration are doing the right things right now on this specific counterterror issue?

KING: Yes, I would have confidence in the CIA, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, that they, left to their own device, will get this job done. We can't let political correctness interfere. But, yes, they will do all that they can do.

BLITZER: Peter King, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, the Homeland Security Committee, thanks very much for joining us.

KING: Wolf, thank you.

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