GOP hints at student visa reforms in wake of foiled attack on NY Fed

“Al Qaeda made a decision several years ago that they were going to send people into our country who had valid papers, who are under the radar screen, who had no known terrorist connections,” King said. “So we have to be very concerned with who comes into this country. We have to be concerned about people who are living here.”

{mosads}The FBI and the New York Police Department arrested Quazi Nafis on Wednesday after Nafis tried to detonate fake explosives that the FBI provided to him. Nafis reportedly has ties to al Qaeda and had plans to blow up the NY Fed, and King said his arrest shows that the United States is still waging a war against terrorists around the world.

“We are at war, and so many people forget that,” King said. “This is the 15th attempted plot against New York since September 2001. It’s the 60th plot against the United States.”

King added that New York is the No. 1 terrorist target in the United States, and possibly the top target in the world.

Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), who sits on King’s committee, agreed that the arrest of Nafis shows the U.S. is “at risk of attack by radical Islamic extremists.” She added that she has worked within the committee to strengthen visa security by bolstering the vetting process for visa candidates and increasing coordination among law enforcement agencies.

“The fact that this man entered our nation on a student visa, although it is becoming clear his only intention in coming to this country was to inflict harm, is a sharp reminder that terrorists will use any and all avenues to enter our country with the intention of committing acts of terror,” she said.