FBI says it foiled ISIS-inspired 4th of July attacks

An NYPD officer in Times Square.
(Image credit: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

The FBI arrested more than 10 people in the weeks leading up to the 4th of July, thwarting several plots inspired by ISIS online recruiters, FBI Director James Comey told reporters Thursday.

"I do believe our work disrupted efforts to kill people likely in connection with July 4th," he said. Comey did not say how many plots there were, or the targets. Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. were warned to be on high alert for potential attacks over the holiday weekend, but there were no incidents. A security source told Reuters some of the people arrested were communicating with ISIS using encrypted data, and Comey estimates that dozens of people influenced by ISIS have disappeared from the FBI's watch due to encrypted data.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.