Terror threat 

Terror Activity Spiked In West In 2016, Says House HS Committee Chair

The terror threat environment worsened in 2016, with Jihadist groups continuing to successfully direct and inspire acts of terror worldwide, even as law enforcement stepped up efforts to thwart attackers, according to the January Terror Threat Snapshot by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX).

The snapshot is a monthly Committee assessment of the growing threat America, the West, and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists.

According to the snapshot, “Overall terror activity in the West spiked in 2016. For instance, ISIS plots against Western countries and their interests totaled 74, a figure greater than 2015 and 2014 combined. The United States remains the group’s most targeted country. Additionally, at least 37 ISIS suspects were arrested in 18 US States.”

Other Islamist terror groups, especially Al Qaeda, also “maintained and, in some cases, expanded their influence in 2016 and continue plotting attacks against Western interests.”