WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 (UPI) — President Barack Obama said there is no “specific and credible” information about planned terrorist attacks on the United States in the coming weeks but warned emerging small groups are becoming harder to detect.
Obama, in his multi-stop effort to calm a nation jittery over terrorism threats, said the United States is in a new phase of fights against terrorists, as evidenced by the shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2 that left 14 dead. He said law enforcement and anti-terrorism agencies nationwide, including the National Counterterrorism Center, are keeping Americans safe.
“They’re harder to detect. That makes it harder to prevent,” he said during a statement from the center in Tysons Corner, Va.
Obama praised those at the center as “patriots,” saying the American public thanks them for their 24-hour-a-day work. He said as the threats have evolved, and so has the country’s mission of protection. That includes going after terrorists overseas, working to keep them out of the United States, stepping up efforts to stop attacks on the homeland and encouraging citizens to remain vigilant.
Obama and his family will leave Friday for a two-week trip to Hawaii. He will stop in San Bernardino to meet with the families of the victims in the mass shooting.
On Monday, Obama visited the Pentagon for an update on the fight against terror, tasking the Department of Homeland Security with updating its systems for communicating threats across the country. He said militant groups, including the Islamic State, are losing ground.
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