US intelligence chief warns of suspected terrorists living in country

(MENAFN) The US director of national intelligence has raised alarms about a “direct threat” from suspected terrorists residing in the country, alleging that around 18,000 known or suspected terrorists have been allowed to enter the United States.

Tulsi Gabbard, speaking to a news agency on Saturday, criticized the Biden administration, saying, “The Biden administration did not take their vetting responsibilities seriously,” and expressed concern that there may be “so many more that we are not aware of yet.” She cited figures from the National Counterterrorism Center, noting that roughly 2,000 of these individuals are Afghan nationals who arrived after the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Gabbard referenced alleged whistleblowers who claimed they were instructed 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.”

Gabbard described the situation as “devastating,” pointing to a recent shooting as evidence of a direct threat to American lives. The incident, which occurred the day before Thanksgiving, involved two National Guard soldiers being shot, one fatally, with the suspected shooter reportedly an Afghan national.

However, reports indicate that the expedited vetting process was largely due to insufficient preparations by the previous Trump administration for the 2021 withdrawal. Officials said President Biden was constrained by the withdrawal deal negotiated under Trump and by a lack of planning for evacuating US allies and remaining troops. Arab News noted that Trump’s 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 Afghan arrivals were allies of US forces seeking safety from the Taliban, and most have integrated lawfully into the country.

Separately, at least two people were killed and nine others hospitalized following a shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley reported that seven of the injured are in stable condition, one remains critical but stable, and one has already been discharged.

Authorities detained a suspect connected to the shooting on Sunday. The emergency response involved Brown University police, Providence police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Multiple agencies, including state police, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are coordinating the ongoing investigation.

MENAFN15122025000045017640ID1110480255