Iraqi security forces personnel fire artillery during clashes with Islamic State militants, in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad October 26, 2014. Picture taken October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
IN PHOTO: Iraqi security forces personnel fire artillery during clashes with Islamic State militants, in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad October 26, 2014. Picture taken October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer REUTERS/Stringer

ISIS propaganda spreading on the Internet has been a cause for concern among governments. After the Paris terror attacks in January, countries around the world are worried about homegrown violent extremism. U.S. officials fear the same kind of attack could happen on American soil.

Michael Steinbach, the FBI counterterrorist division head, told CNN in an interview inside FBI’s Strategic Information and Operations Centre that it was “extremely difficult” to keep track of every U.S. citizen who might be travelling abroad to join extremist groups like ISIS. He said he was worried about people that the government does not know anything about.

Steinbach, who is leading the effort to remain on top of the growing threat including the ISIS’ recruitment of Americans, revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies and law enforcement do not monitor individuals leaving the country for a vacation in Europe. He said people who go to Europe can easily travel to Turkey and into Syria.

When asked about the existence of ISIS cells in the U.S., Steinbach replied that there ar are people who have been in contact with terror groups like ISIS. He said those individuals happen to be currently in the U.S. However, he believes “sleeper cells” may be too simplistic since the threat has grown more complicated.

Children, as young as 15 years old, are being recruited by ISIS in the U.S. Steinbech said he was not certain whether the young individuals have been successful in travelling overseas to join the militants. He added that in some cases, parents encourage their children to become involved with terror groups.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military is deploying more of its military assets in Iraq to help fight ISIS. It is also repositioning its search-and-rescue assets to help in the event aircraft are show down, reports Fox News. The movement of assets follows the criticism of United Arab Emirates over how the U.S. handled the downing of the Jordanian aircraft in Iraq by ISIS. The militant group has recently released a video of the pilot being burned alive.

U.S. Senator John McCain said he hopes the ISIS video will “galvanize” the U.S. and the Arab world to intensify efforts to beat the militants since he believes the group is winning. Washington Times reports that McCain has criticised the Obama administration for its lack of strategy. He said the U.S. is neither “degrading nor destroying ISIS.”

To report problems or leave feedback for this article, contact: r.su@ibtimes.com.au

RELATED STORIES