THREAT SNAPSHOT: House Homeland Unveils Updated “Terror Threat Snapshot” Assessment After Annual Worldwide Threats Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the House Committee on Homeland Security released an updated "Terror Threat Snapshot " assessment, detailing the persistent, complex, and shifting threats facing America, its allies, and the global community. The assessment highlights the resurgence of foreign jihadist networks, rising antisemitic violence, and the growing threats fueled by online radicalization. Read more in the Center Square via Bethany Blankley.

The update follows the Committee's annual Worldwide Threats hearing, which featured witness testimony from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Director Joe Kent, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Security Branch Operations Director Michael Glasheen.

"Twenty-four years after 9/11, what we heard from Director Kent in our annual Worldwide Threats hearing last week should disturb every American. The Biden-Harris administration's vetting failures and open-borders policies will have long-lasting impacts on our homeland security. Although the Trump administration has achieved historic milestones in securing the border and identifying potential national security threats on U.S. soil, the terror threat landscape globally and in the homeland continues to shift," Committee Chairman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY) said. "With homegrown and domestic radicalization on the rise, the holidays beginning, and preparations for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics underway, we must be prepared to meet this moment with a coordinated, whole-of-government approach that safeguards communities and ensures people can gather safely. Moving forward, Homeland Republicans will continue to conduct rigorous oversight in response to the dangerous decisions of the previous administration--which still affect us today--and will work with our colleagues to ensure America is never again caught off guard."

"The terror landscape in the United States is evolving fast and becoming more dangerous every single day. Online radicalization has supercharged the reach of foreign terrorist organizations, emboldening them to inspire violence on our soil without stepping foot on it. And we've seen the consequences," Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) said. "Just last month in Washington, D.C., a radicalized Afghan national opened fire on two U.S. National Guardsmen in broad daylight, killing one and critically injuring the other. We cannot allow this to continue. Congress must act with urgency to protect our country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. As a former fighter pilot with more than two decades of experience combatting ISIS, I know what it takes to confront terrorism head on and the importance of continually improving our strategy to outpace our adversaries at every turn."

This updated snapshot includes several major developments in the domestic and global threat landscape. In November, an Afghan national was arrested after ambushing two members of the National Guard near the White House. The FBI is probing the potential terror motives of the shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Additionally, two Afghan nationals have been charged this year in connection with a plot to conduct an ISIS-inspired attack on Election Day 2024, underscoring the continued threat posed by the resurgence in foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).

In May 2024, the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report indicating that DHS has a fragmented process for vetting and identifying derogatory information on Afghan parolees arriving through Operation Allies Welcome, which followed a September 2022 DHS OIG report that found DHS "encountered obstacles to screen, vet, and inspect all Afghan evacuees" arriving in the United States following the withdrawal. NCTC Director Kent testified before the Committee last week in our annual Worldwide Threats hearing and said an estimated two to 2.7 million individuals from countries lacking reliable documentation entered the U.S. after minimal vetting by the previous administration.

The global landscape also shows a resurgence in FTOs. Last weekend, two Iowa National Guard soldiers were killed along with a U.S. civilian, and three others were injured, in Syria by a gunman, allegedly affiliated with ISIS, underscoring the resurgent threat the group poses to U.S. security. Last month, the House passed the "Syria Terrorism Threat Assessment Act," legislation introduced by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) requiring DHS to assess the threat posed by individuals in Syria with ties to terror groups.

FTOs like ISIS and al-Qaeda are increasingly exploiting digital platforms to radicalize, train, and fundraise. In June, Ammaad Akhtar was arrested for attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization. Akhtar had been unknowingly communicating online with a member of law enforcement, whom he believed was a member of ISIS, and voiced his support for ISIS and jihad. FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Glasheen testified last week that this extends to domestic violent extremists as well, saying, "Radicalization of domestic terrorists most often occurs online. Social media and encryption have increased the speed and accessibility of the violent extremist content." To counter the risks stemming from the exploitation of emerging technologies, the House of Representatives passed Chairman Pfluger's "Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act" last month, which requires DHS, in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct annual assessments on the threats posed by terrorists' use of generative artificial intelligence.

Antisemitic violence and threats targeting religious communities in the United States and across the globe have sharply increased since the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. On the first night of Hanukkah in Sydney, Australia, two gunmen, allegedly inspired by ISIS, carried out a deadly attack on Jewish celebrations, killing at least 15 people and injuring many others. In October, Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub Al-Muhtadi, a Gaza native residing in Louisiana, was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. NCTC Director Kent warned that the attack represented the "new terrorist playbook. They're not looking necessarily for a spectacular attack like we have on 9/11, but rather targets of opportunity, as we tragically witnessed with the terrorist attack in Washington, D.C."

FBI National Security Branch Operations Director Glasheen told the Committee that the U.S. currently has over 1,700 domestic terrorist investigations underway, with arrests of Antifa members up 171 percent this year alone. This week, Subcommittee Chairman Pfluger and Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Chairman Josh Brecheen (R-OK) held a bipartisan closed-door roundtable to examine definitional inconsistencies for domestic terrorism across federal and state authorities, implementation and coordination gaps in existing strategies, and resource and capability constraints in combating this threat.

Today's snapshot also outlines attacks against federal law enforcement agents and officers, reflecting the heightened dangers faced by frontline personnel. A deadly shooting at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas in Septemberresulted in the deaths of two detainees and injured two others. The gunman left behind ammunition with the phrase "ANTI-ICE" written on it. Earlier this month, the Committee convened a hearing to examine how increasingly hostile anti-law enforcement rhetoric is contributing to the rise in threats.

On September 11, 2025, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence announced the establishment of a bipartisan review of the 9/11 Commission Report recommendations, which were released in July 2004. The House Committee on Homeland Security is partnering with its Intelligence Committee colleagues in this review and conducting oversight of DHS to help identify progress made and areas that require continued improvement since the 9/11 attacks.

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