Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the country's terrorist threat is at an “elevated level” after the New Orleans car attack that killed more than a dozen people on New Year's Day, and said the current and incoming administrations The ball called for people to “keep an eye on it”. ”
“Well, no matter who the president is, no matter who the administration is, counterterrorism officials from multiple agencies are working intensively on this evolving and growing threat landscape that we're seeing right now. I think it's necessary, the president said, in an interview on “Fox & Friends” Friday morning.
“When I was at DHS in 2014, 2015 and 2016, we saw a spate of these incidents, and the threat has not gone away, and I am concerned that it is now at an increased level.” added.
Authorities said Shamsud Din Jabbar was responsible for plowing a rented Ford pickup into a crowd Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more.
Jabbar, a Texas man who served in the Army from 2007 to 2020, was killed by law enforcement in the aftermath. Later, authorities said they found an ISIS flag in the suspect's car and social media posts in which he expressed sympathies with the multinational militant group.
Johnson said in an interview that ISIS “feels emboldened” after the New Orleans car attack and the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria in early December.
With bigger events coming up, including President-elect Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and the Super Bowl, Johnson said he would advise current DHS staff to “not just respond to the last attack.” Ta. The next work may have a completely different character, so please look forward to it. ”
“We've known for some time that the possibility of a vehicular attack, a vehicle carrying a deadly weapon, or a mass shooting is something we should expect and prepare for,” said the former Secretary of Homeland Security. . “We shouldn't believe this is the last time we've seen a vehicle attack of this kind.”
“But I always encourage our employees to be vigilant and think about what happens next. Don't just plug the last hole,” he added.
