President Obama(Photo: Pool phoot by Andrew Harrer)
National Security Council aides<span style="color: Red;">*</span>told President Obama there is no immediate<span style="color: Red;">*</span>threat to the United States in the wake of the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Paris attacks that the Islamic State claimed responsibility for, the White House said Saturday.
During an NSC<span style="color: Red;">*</span>meeting convened by Obama, officials discussed "the latest intelligence surrounding the attacks, and —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>while noting that there was no specific or credible threat to the United States —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reviewed our homeland security posture to ensure we are doing everything necessary to protect the American people," the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>White House said in a statement.
Aides also said they have "no information to contradict the initial French assessment of ISIL's responsibility," the statement said, using the acronym for the militant group.
The meeting also included a discussion of "our Embassy security posture in Paris and across Europe," the statement said, and Obama directed his team "to take all appropriate measures to ensure the security of Embassy personnel."<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The president said his administration will continue working with French authorities on the investigation.
Obama, speaking from the White House shortly after the Friday night attacks at multiple sites in Paris, said that "we're going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice, and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people."
The NSC meeting took<span style="color: Red;">*</span>place before Obama departed on<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a 10-day trip to Turkey, the Philippines<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Malaysia. The trip begins in Turkey for a Group of 20 nations summit at which terrorism was already going to be a major topic.
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The White House also said that Obama spoke late Friday with French President Francois Hollande to offer the nation's condolences for the series of attacks that claimed at least 129 lives and injured hundreds<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of others.
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Obama "reiterated the United States' steadfast, unwavering support for the people of France, our oldest ally and friend, and reaffirmed the offer of any necessary support to the French investigation," the White House said in a statement.
It added that "the two leaders pledged to work together, and with nations around the world, to defeat the scourge of terrorism."
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