There’s increased vigilance surrounding 4th of July celebrations this year. ISIS has American authorities concerned. As we celebrate the 4th of July, Muslims across the world are observing a month of Ramadan. The “radical Islam terror group” has asked “supporters to attack during the holy month of Ramadan,” reports WFLA News. That, coupled with the recent arrests of 10 people in the U.S. accused of plotting terrorist activities, has many concerned.
“Never before since September 11th have we seen the threat environment like it is right now, and a lot of that is the result of Islamic State this last year inspiring home grown violent extremism and the risk that has been escalating and continuing over time,” said Craig Gundry of Critical Intervention Services.
Gundry spent time on Thursday instructing employees of CIS about the inner workings of terrorists. Some of his students will be working to protect sensitive locations terrorists could hit, including power plants.
Meanwhile, ISIS supporters are sending 60,000 tweets per day. “There are self-radicalized, self-organized people on social media. Are we concerned about that? Absolutely, we’re concerned about it,” Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told reporters Wednesday.
However, the FBI issued a reassuring statement saying, “There is no specific, credible intelligence to indicate any threats against celebrations over the 4th of July weekend.”
Gundry agrees there is no need to alter your holiday plans. But he believes Americans should not let their guard down. “I think that any time that we get notifications like this from the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security, it needs to be taken seriously,” he said. That means, you should report anything you see that is suspicious.
