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[h=4]Obama: No evidence of attacks during holiday[/h]There is no specific and credible evidence that a Paris-style terrorist attack is being planned for the United States this holiday weekend, President Obama said Wednesday after meeting with national security aides.
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President Barack Obama said there is currently no "specific and credible" intelligence indicating a terrorist plot against the United States, as he sought to reassure anxious Americans for the Thanksgiving holiday. (Nov. 25) AP
President Obama makes a statement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Nov. 25, 2015, following a meeting with his national security team. Joining him, from left, are FBI Director James Comey, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and counter-terrorism advisor Lisa Monaco.(Photo: Nicholas Kamm, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>There is no specific and credible<span style="color: Red;">*</span>evidence that a Paris-style terrorist attack is being planned for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the United States this holiday weekend, President Obama said Wednesday after meeting with national security aides.
"We are taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe,"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Obama told reporters after his<span style="color: Red;">*</span>meeting,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>adding that U.S. military, intelligence, and law enforcement<span style="color: Red;">*</span>officials are "working overtime" this Thanksgiving.
As officials bolster security at the nation's borders and airports, Obama urged Americans to go about their Thanksgiving activities as usual, but also to be "vigilant" about unusual<span style="color: Red;">*</span>activity.
"If you see something suspicious, say something," Obama said. "That's always helpful."
The national<span style="color: Red;">*</span>security team briefed Obama<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"on our homeland security posture in the wake of the tragic attacks in Paris and as we enter the holiday season," the White House said in a statement.
After a similar meeting on Tuesday, the White House said that Obama "was briefed that there is currently no specific, credible threat to the homeland" from the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that killed at least 130 people.
Shortly after the president's remarks at the White House, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson echoed his message while boarding an Amtrak train<span style="color: Red;">*</span>at Union Station in Washington, D.C.
Speaking<span style="color: Red;">*</span>on one of the busiest travels days of the year, Johnson said that "we in the U.S. government know of no specific and credible threat of a terrorist plot." He added that government officials remain<span style="color: Red;">*</span>vigilant,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and so should transportation passengers.
“Basically, they are reinforcing existing security measures," he said. "It should be obvious to the public that there is a heightened presence in places like in Union Station here, at airports and other public gathering places.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>In general, we want to encourage people as the holiday season begins to travel, be with your families, celebrate the holidays, go to public events —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and be vigilant and be aware.”
Obama and aides have said that homeland security officials are stepping<span style="color: Red;">*</span>up their efforts in the wake of the Paris attacks. The Islamic State, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has made more threats against the United States and its allies.
USA TODAY
Obama: Islamic State must be destroyed
On Tuesday, Obama met with French President Francois Hollande to discuss a global strategy to counter the Islamic State.
While Republican presidential candidates and other critics say that Obama's strategy is inadequate, the president said he is intensifying the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>existing plan that stresses airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and the training of local forces to carry the fight on the ground. Obama has repeatedly said he would not deploy U.S. combat troops to the battle.
Citing that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>plan in his remarks Wednesday, Obama said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the United States and allies have conducted more than 8,000 airstrikes, re-taken land,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>worked to cut off the group's financing, all designed to step up the pressure on<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the Islamic State "where it lives."
As for the United States, Obama said that, "right now, we know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland." He later added: "In the event of a specific, credible threat, the public will be informed."
Obama's national security meeting included Attorney General<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Loretta Lynch, Homeland Security Secretary<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Jeh Johnson<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and FBI Director<span style="color: Red;">*</span>James Comey.
While the threat of terrorism "is a troubling reality of our age," Obama said later, "we are resilient in the face of those who would try to do us harm.<span style="color: Red;">*</span> And that’s something we can all be thankful for."
The president again expressed solidarity with the people of Paris.
"For many of us," he<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said, "the events there touched a deep chord."
Contributing: Bart Jansen
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