At a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Wednesday morning on the domestic threat of al Shabaab, Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) warned that the Somali terrorist organization could carry out a terrorist attack in America and that it should not be underestimated.

“With al Shabaab’s large cadre of American jihadis and unquestionable ties to al Qaeda, particularly its alliance with AQAP [al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula], we must face the reality that al Shabaab is a growing threat to our homeland,” King said in his opening remarks. Wednesday’s hearing complemented the committee’s release of a “major investigation” (available here) into al Shabaab’s recruitment practices, which finds that at least 40 Muslim Americans and 20 Muslim Canadians have joined al Shabaab.