Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could strike the U.S. homeland.
Chertoff, who led the DHS under President George W. Bush, contends that President Obama waited too long to address the threat from ISIS. He says the terrorist network could send fighters to the United States or inspire local terrorists to plan attacks.
{mosads}“Whether [members of ISIS] carry out that threat by sending fighters back who they’ve trained, or whether they try to inspire lone wolves, or whether they simply captivate potential recruits and they go out on their own to carry out attacks, I think all of those are possibilities,” the founder and executive chairman of The Chertoff Group says in an on-camera interview with The Hill.
Chertoff predicts that the chances of reciprocal attacks will increase as the U.S. ramps up airstrikes against militants in Syria.
“At some point, particularly as we begin to put pressure on ISIS, they’re going to feel the need to respond for two reasons: try to intimidate us to draw back but also to show us their adherence that they are capable of giving as well as getting,” Chertoff explains in the interview.