World Braces for 9/11 Anniversary

Officials around the world are bracing for the anniversary of September 11 in the wake of intelligence reports that hint at the possibility of terrorist attacks.

As the U.S. prepares to remember those lost in the September 11 attacks 13 years ago, there are international concerns that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and other terrorists groups may use the anniversary to launch attacks.

A statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on August 29 addressed the U.K.’s decision to raise its domestic threat level from international terrorism from “Substantial” to “Severe” based on activities that have taken place in Syria and Iraq.

In the statement, Secretary Jeh Johnson said that while the DHS and FBI are “unaware of any specific, credible threat to the U.S. homeland from ISIL … violent extremists who support ISIL have demonstrated the intent and capability to target American citizens overseas, and ISIL constitutes an active and serious threat within the region.”

Johnson further stated that the DHS has taken a number of steps over the past several weeks to enhance security at airports overseas with direct flights to the U.S., noting that the U.K. and other nations have done the same.

Still, concerns remain. When 11 commercial aircraft were reported missing from Libya’s Tripoli International Airport (TIP) earlier this month, an unnamed U.S. official was quoted as saying, “We found out September 11 what can happen with hijacked planes.”

Abderrahmane Mekkaoui, a Moroccan military expert, told Al Jazeera TV that the missing planes are in the possession of an Islamic group known as the Masked Men Brigade, and that the group is threatening to use the planes in attacks against Northwestern Africa’s Maghreb region. The threat has prompted Tunisia and Egypt to halt flights to Libya, with Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria on high alert.

An article from USA Today noted that the missing aircraft pose more of a threat to Libya and surrounding countries, given the security measures implemented in the U.S. after September 11, 2001, which don’t exist in other countries.

The Hill reported on September 7 that the U.S. is “bracing” for the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, “with embassies from around the world likely to bolster security against the possibility of a strike from ISIS and other extremist groups.”

As the anniversary of the Benghazi attacks also occurs on September 11, The Hill report added that “tensions are running high” with the amount of intelligence in recent months about radical groups planning attacks against the U.S.

The Hill article went on to note that the White House, State Department and Pentagon all stated that they are constantly monitoring and reevaluating the country’s “security posture,” but that no further specifics could be given — for “security reasons,” according to State Department spokesman Noel Clay.

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