New York is facing an “extremely serious” terrorism threat following the arrest of eight Tajik nationals with suspected ties to ISIS, according to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Security Chief Greg Ehrie.
Reports emerged earlier this week that eight men originating from Tajikistan who may be associated with ISIS-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, had been arrested in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles after illegally entering the country through the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ehrie, who investigated terror threats for the FBI prior to joining the Port Authority, said during an appearance on CNN‘s Erin Burnett OutFront on Friday that the arrests suggest that a terrorist attack could be coming.
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“It’s extremely serious,” Ehrie said. “I liken it to a weather front. You’re seeing all the fronts coming into play.”
The Statue of Liberty is pictured in front of the Manhattan skyline in this undated file photo of New York City. Chief security officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said…
The Statue of Liberty is pictured in front of the Manhattan skyline in this undated file photo of New York City. Chief security officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said on Friday that the threat of a terrorist attack was “extremely serious” following reports that eight Tajik nationals with suspected ISIS links had been arrested after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. ALFSnaiper
The Context
Reports earlier this week from the New York Post and NBC claimed that the ISIS-linked Tajik men had been arrested in three sting operations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At least two of the men are believed to have entered the U.S. in spring 2023.
ISIS-K terrorists from Tajikistan are believed to be responsible for the March terror attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, which killed 145 people and wounded hundreds more.
While no specific threat to New York City has been reported, the city was devastated by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that destroyed the original World Trade Center and its twin towers, and the site is often considered a likely target for future attacks due to several surrounding high-profile landmarks.
What We Know
Ehrie on Friday suggested that multiple “fronts” were “in play” after being asked by CNN’s Burnett on the severity of the threat posed by suspected ISIS terrorists crossing into the U.S.
“It’s extremely serious,” Ehrie said. “I liken it to a weather front. You’re seeing all the fronts coming into play: We have a border issue. We have an ideological issue. We have ISIS-K—which is increasing their external operations—and then we find these individuals who we don’t really know a lot about in our borders.”
Ehrie went on to say that U.S. targets making “the biggest splash” for terrorists were particularly vulnerable.
“In the business of terrorism, you want the notoriety, you want the media attention,” he said. “You start to think: What’s the next target that would get them the most notoriety, that would make the biggest splash for them? It’s hard not to come back to the United States.”
Views
Newsweek reached out for comment to ICE via email on Friday night.
New York City Council member Robert Holden told Fox News on Wednesday that he feared “another 9/11” was on the way due to “who’s coming into our country” at the southern border.
“It’s frightening, and we’re headed for another 9/11,” Holden said. “I predicted that, I think we should have a secure border. We should know who’s coming into our country— we don’t.”
“And millions of migrants and illegal aliens have gotten through,” he added. “So it’s a situation that we’re just, you know, really rolling the dice here.”
What’s Next
While the FBI and Department of Homeland Security acknowledged in a joint statement that “ICE agents arrested several non-citizens” in “close coordination with the FBI’s joint terrorism task forces,” it is not clear that those arrested, or anyone else linked to ISIS-K, had plans to carry out terrorist attacks within the U.S.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order earlier this month designed to address a surge in border crossings by blocking asylum-seekers when arrests for illegal entry reach 2,500 people per day.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.