The chief of U.S. homeland security said on Sunday he loses sleep over the idea of a Sept. 11th-style plane attack in the U.S.
“The other thing, John, that has me — keeps me literally awake at night is the threat against aviation. You know, we know that would be the Super Bowl for the terrorists, to knock down an airplane in flight, particularly if it was full of Americans,” Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told CBS “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson. “I focus on this aviation threat as something that is very real. And if they’re successful, they’re going to kill hundreds and hundreds of people in one fell swoop.”
DHS is watching a “number of plots” regarding this type of threat. Kelly said he checks in on these aviation threats “four or five times a day.”
“We’re watching very, very closely. They’re very sophisticated. They’re very threatening,” Kelly added.
Kelly hesitated naming domestic terrorism as the “No. 1 threat” to national security, but said he believes it is the “most common threat.”
“There are so many aspects to this terrorist thing. Obviously you got the homegrown terrorists. I don’t know how to stop that. I don’t know how to detect that,” Kelly said.
Kelly pointed to other government agencies that specifically focus on that threat.
