Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton says the global terror threat facing the United States has shifted dramatically since 2001, with organizations now radicalizing recruits over the internet rather than in overseas training camps.
Speaking on Fox News’ “Special Report,” Clayton pointed to a foiled bombing attempt outside Gracie Mansion in New York City as evidence that attackers no longer need to travel abroad to be indoctrinated.
“Just this year, we had two radicalized men from Pennsylvania travel to New York to try and detonate a bomb outside Gracie Mansion. Thanks to the NYPD, who just like in 9/11 ran to the fire, no one was killed,” Clayton said.
Federal prosecutors say the two men were ISIS supporters who had consumed radical content online. Prosecutors allege they traveled from Pennsylvania to Manhattan on March 7 carrying two explosive devices, which they attempted to detonate near protesters and police officers outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
A Sharply Larger Network
Host Bret Baier raised United Nations figures during the interview showing that al Qaeda’s global network has swelled to an estimated 25,000 potential fighters, roughly 50 times the group’s estimated size at the time of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
“Those numbers may be surprising. I think it’s important for America to hear those numbers, but they reflect the evolving threat environment, the threat environment from terrorists,” Clayton said.
He said the recruiting model itself has changed over the past 25 years. “Terrorists recruit today much differently than they did 25 years ago,” Clayton said. “Today, they recruit their agents online. They attempt to radicalize them online.”
Gaps Remain, But Cooperation Has Improved
Asked about security gaps flagged in a recent House Intelligence Committee report, Clayton said coordination between intelligence agencies and law enforcement has improved substantially since 2001.
“What I can tell you is that the women and men of the intelligence community, working domestically with law enforcement, working overseas with our partners, are committed every day to closing those gaps and identifying evolving threats,” Clayton said.
He added that the public should know how often plots are stopped before they happen. “There have been, and again, the American people should know this, there have been many threats on our soil that have been thwarted,” Clayton said.
