US intelligence chief warns of ‘direct threat’ from suspected terrorists inside country

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) – The US director of national intelligence has warned of a “direct threat” from suspected terrorists now living in the US, accusing the Biden administration of allowing about 18,000 alleged known or suspected terrorists to enter the country.

“The Biden administration did not take their vetting responsibilities seriously,” Tulsi Gabbard told Fox News on Saturday, adding that her concern is there are “so many more that we are not aware of yet.”

Citing National Counterterrorism Center figures, Gabbard said roughly 2,000 of those individuals are Afghan nationals who entered following the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying that alleged whistleblowers told her they were ordered to rush screenings.

She characterized the whistleblowers as saying they were told to “hurry up, don't do the thorough vetting that you normally do because we have to hurry up and get these people into the United States.”

Calling the situation “devastating,” Gabbard said, “What we are seeing right now is the exact result where we have a direct threat on the lives of the American people,” referencing a shooting the day before Thanksgiving in which two National Guard soldiers were shot, one fatally, with the suspected shooter identified as an Afghan national.

However, there is evidence that the Biden administration had to do expedited vetting due to inadequate preparations by the first Trump administration for the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, under a deal reached by US President Donald Trump himself.

After the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Arab News reported, a report by officials under then-President Joe Biden said he had been “constrained by Trump’s pledge during his first term to withdraw US troops from the country, and by inadequate planning by Trump, including for getting out local US allies who might be targeted by the Taliban. The report also blames the Trump administration for failing to leave any plans for withdrawing the remaining troops and evacuating Americans and allies, despite the looming deadline."

Arab News called this a “fair criticism.”

The outlet also reported: “The Trump administration had four years to ramp up the process to provide Special Immigrant Visas or other options for the US’ Afghan allies; instead, it slowed the process and degraded much of the system designed to review, process and assist such refugees.”

Many of the Afghans now in the US were allies of American forces during the war, and feared being targeted by the Taliban after the US withdrawal. The longer they stayed in the country, the greater the risk.

Despite last month's shooting, there is no evidence that the vast majority of the Afghans who came to the US after summer 2021 are anything but law abiding.

-Shooting at Brown University

At least two people were killed and nine initially hospitalized Saturday in a shooting at Brown University in the US city of Providence in the Northeastern state of Rhode Island, officials said.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said seven of those injured are hospitalized in stable condition, while another remains in critical but stable condition. One victim has already been released from the hospital.

Authorities on Sunday detained a suspect linked to the shooting, said a spokesperson for the mayor.

Authorities said the initial emergency call was received shortly after 4 pm (2100GMT) Saturday local time, prompting an immediate response by Brown University police, followed by Providence police, firefighters, and emergency medical teams.

Authorities said multiple agencies are involved in the response, including state police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Officials said federal and local agencies are coordinating closely as the investigation remains active.