Tuesday’s terrorist attack in Brussels may have the positive effect of dissuading potential Islamic State recruits in the U.S. from joining the terrorist organization, said the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Following any terrorist attack overseas, FBI Director James Comey said his agency focuses on two things: connections in the U.S. to the attackers overseas and whether there is any risk of a copycat attack.
“So far we don’t see any indication of that here,” Comey said at a press conference Thursday with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who agreed with his claim.
“In fact,” Comey continued, “I’m an optimist … I actually think that it may have the reverse effect.”
“When people see images of innocent men, women and children slaughtered all around the world, I hope that will reinforce the notion that the Islamic State so-called does not engage in some heroic-romantic battle on the side of good, but instead they’ll see it as a bunch of savages occupying a space that’s hell on earth right now,” Comey said. “I think we see that reflected in a decrease in the number of cases we’re seeing of people trying to travel to the so-called Islamic State from the United States — that’s a positive trend, and we hope very much it reflects an understanding by people looking for a center in their life. This is not the place to find it.”
Comey rejected the notion that the attacks in Brussels reflect improved recruiting and better organization by the Islamic State.
“I don’t think I give this group of savages credit for getting better,” Comey said. He added that the attack Tuesday was a manifestation of individuals from Europe traveling to Syria where they get the “worst kind of training” before traveling home. By comparison, Comey said in the U.S. the fear is people being radicalized in place.
Lynch added that the U.S. remains “vigilant” in seeking out threats to the homeland.
On Tuesday, a string of bombings at a busy subway and airport left 31 dead and over 200 injured. The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.
While Comey and Lynch downplayed the Islamic State threat to the United States, a former top CIA official under President Obama warned that the Islamic State is winning in the aftermath of Brussels.
The attacks are a “reflection of how large, how compartmented, how sophisticated the ISIS capability is in Europe,” former CIA deputy director Michael Morell said on CBS’ “This Morning.” He added that despite the U.S.’s success in fighting the terrorist organization in Syria, the Islamic State is “growing rapidly in the rest of the world.”
Morell said the attacks are a “reflection of how large, how compartmented, how sophisticated the ISIS capability is in Europe.” He said though the United States is having success fighting the Islamic State in Syria, the terror group is “growing rapidly in the rest of the world,” as other attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have occurred in the past year.