Several members of Congress raised concerns about Islamic terrorist threats now that the U.S. is approaching it 25-year anniversary of 9/11.
At a U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Thursday addressing an annual assessment of threats to national security, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-New York, pointed to three high-profile Islamic terrorist attacks that occurred this month alone.
They included an Islamic attack against Temple Israel Synagogue in Michigan by a naturalized citizen from Lebanon, a targeted shooting and killing of college students in Texas by a lawful permanent resident from Senegal, and an ISIS-inspired attack targeting protesters outside of the New York City mayor’s residence. The Michigan and Texas attackers were shot dead by police. Two Muslim men were arrested and charged in the New York case.
Stefanik excluded a shooting at Old Dominion University that also occurred this month that is being investigated as an act of terrorism. In this case, a Muslim man who pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS in 2016 was released from prison after receiving a light sentence and went on to kill one and injure two before he was shot dead.
