The U.S. is better guarded against a coordinated, 9/11 style of terrorist attack, but there are major concerns about more attacks carried out by a single individual, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Sunday.
Johnson did a round of the morning talk shows on Sunday, the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City and at the Pentagon.
“Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd quizzed Johnson over why significant numbers of Americans feel the country is less safe now than it was before Sept. 11, 2001, despite the creation of his own agency since then. A poll last month found 42 percent of respondents felt that way.
“That’s a good question,” Johnson responded. “They see what’s happening overseas, what’s happening in western Europe and they’re really concerned about our security environment.”
Johnson said the U.S. is better prepared to counterattack any efforts by terrorists to carry out a similar attack to 9/11. But what keeps him up at night, he said, is another “lone wolf” style of attack like those recently carried out in San Bernadino and Orlando.
“Invariably, the higher probability type of threat is another San Bernadino, another Orlando, is the thing most in our minds,” Johnson said. “[It] keeps me up at night the most.”
Todd also asked Johnson whether he fears Syria could become a haven for terrorists to plan an attack on the U.S., similar to Afghanistan prior to 9/11.
Johnson said he’s been warning of such a thing since February 2014.
“Our U.S. military along with our international partners have done a good job of taking back terrority, taking out the leaders of ISIL,” Johnson said. “[But] yes, we have to be concerned Syria could become another Afghanistan.”
