ISIS-K terrorists could cross America’s porous border and carry out attacks like the Moscow concert hall shooting that killed 143 people, US counterterrorism officials and experts warn. did.
The ultra-violent splinter of the Islamic State terror group is growing “emboldened” and its members may be looking to take advantage of the chaos at the US-Mexico border to seek “bigger” targets. said a current federal official. Posted on condition of anonymity.
“An attack on the U.S. mainland is definitely a possibility,” the official said. “That would definitely send a message.”
More than 256,000 migrant encounters were recorded at the southern border in February, and while it’s unclear how many “fugitives” slipped undetected, officials say ISIS-K operatives “slid by unnoticed. There is a possibility.”
Concerns have only been exacerbated by a recent surge in border encounters with suspects on the FBI’s terrorist watch list.
In 2021, Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officers intercepted 15 terrorist suspects at the southern border, and arrests jumped to 98 the following year.
A total of 169 terrorist suspects were apprehended at the southern border last year, and an additional 69 suspects have been arrested for attempting to sneak across the border since October last year.
It is believed that hundreds of people may cross the border each year from countries where ISIS-K is actively recruiting.
“We take the threat of domestic ISIS-K attacks very seriously,” a counterterrorism official said.
“They hate us and everything we stand for. And they are bold and always looking for targets.”
Most experts say ISIS-K is likely to target Europe because of its proximity to its base of operations, but the U.S. border poses significant terrorism risks both north and south.
“Given the attacks in Moscow, open borders are a major concern for terrorists entering the United States,” Morgan Lelett, a former U.S. Army captain and Blackwater contractor, said in a statement to the Post.
“All it would take is a few of them to arm themselves and attack a large event.” [such as a] Concerts, baseball games, Times Square [in New York City] “To bring terrorism to the American mainland,” he added.
Lerete also pointed out that the ISIS-K members behind the Moscow attacks are from Tajikistan, a Central Asian country where the terrorist organization is gaining support.
The March 22 attack on Moscow’s Crocus Town Hall music venue was the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe in 20 years. Four terrorists opened fire and threw Molotov cocktails into a packed concert.
ISIS-K also claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Iran during a ceremony marking the anniversary of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani’s assassination by the United States on January 3.
The group was also involved in an attack at Kabul airport during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that killed 183 people, including 13 U.S. military personnel.
“The Russian attack was a success for them,” the US official said. “So they end up looking for something bigger.”
ISIS-K, which originated in the Khorasan region that includes Iran, Turkmenistan and parts of Afghanistan, is “the most operationally capable Islamic State offshoot,” said Daniel, a senior researcher in the Transnational Threats Project at the International Threat Center. Byman said. Strategic and International Affairs (CSIS).
Byman said ISIS-K has gathered supporters across the Middle East and Central Asia and has declared a number of major enemies, including the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Russia, Iran and Western countries. They are all unpopular supporters of the violent Sunni Muslim jihadist movement.
Following the horrific attacks in Moscow, Byman warned that the group would likely seek new recruits and sympathizers from countries such as Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Customs and Border Protection officers encountered 48 nationals of these countries at the southern border in 2020, according to the latest available data.
But since 2020, amid pandemic restrictions on asylum seekers, the number of migrants stopped at the border has jumped nearly fivefold, with hundreds of migrants likely entering the U.S. each year from these countries. Experts warn that it is possible.
Colin Clark, a counterterrorism analyst at the New York-based security consulting firm Soufan Group, said that even if ISIS-K members lack resources in the United States, terrorists can die once infiltrated. He pointed out that this does not mean that they cannot spread mayhem. I’m in America.
“Terrorists will have a hard time making bombs and buying guns here, but low-cost attacks such as ramming cars and trucks are still possible,” Clark warned. “Anything is possible.”
Both Clark and Byman said that while an attack across the southern border is a possibility, what is more likely is that ISIS-K supporters already in the United States could be involved in a terrorist attack on ISIS-K’s behalf. He said he was preparing.
“It’s common for terrorist groups to ramp up their attacks, and sympathizers may take action elsewhere,” Clark said. “There is no doubt that this latest attack in Moscow will inspire others to act on behalf of ISIS.”
