The nation's intelligence chiefs gathered this week on Capitol Hill to testify before a Senate committee on the state of worldwide security threats to the United States, including terrorism, cybercrime, narcotics trafficking, and border security. The hearings were held in conjunction with the release of the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment report published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Key Testimony Highlights
During opening remarks, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines noted the ramifications of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“The crisis in Gaza is a stark example of how regional developments have the potential of broader and even global implications. While it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism. Both al-Qaeda and ISIL [ISIS], inspired by Hamas, have directed supporters to conduct attacks against Israeli and US interests.
During questioning about threats resulting from the border crisis, FBI Director Chris Wray warned the bureau is “very concerned” about a human smuggling network with ties to ISIS that utilize the southern border to gain entry into the US.
“So, I want to be a little bit careful how far I can go in open session, but there is a particular network that, where some of the overseas facilitators of the smuggling network have ISIS ties that we’re very concerned about and that we’ve been spending enormous amount of effort with our partners investigating. Exactly what that network is up to is something that’s, again, the subject of our current investigation.
During an exchange with Senator Jon Ossof of Georgia, Director Wray was asked to assess the present level of threat and risk of a terrorist attack in the United States compared to past periods during his tenure. Wray responded as follows:
“Well, even before October 7, I would have told this Committee that we were at a heightened threat level from a terrorism perspective. In the sense that, it’s the first time I’ve seen in a long, long time, the threats from homegrown violent extremists — that is jihadist-inspired extremists — domestic violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, and state-sponsored terrorist organizations all being elevated at one time. Since October 7, though, that threat has gone to a whole other level. And so, this is a time I think, for much greater vigilance than has maybe been called upon of us before October 7.”
Hear these and other testimony clips in the AlertsUSA weekly podcast.
Watch the full Worldwide Threats hearing:
Download a copy of the 2024 Annual Threat Assessment (ODNI)
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