FBI Director Comey: No evidence of threat in U.S. of Paris-style attack
The U.S. is not aware of any credible threat in the U.S. of a Paris-style attack, FBI Director James Comey said to reporters Thursday. Additionally, he said there is "no connection at all" between the Paris attackers and the U.S.
"The threat here focuses primarily on troubled souls in America who are being inspired or enabled online to do something violent for ISIL," he said. Authorities are monitoring a few dozen individuals who fall into this category -- Comey said they are "covering them like a blanket."
Counterterrorism teams began looking for connections between the Paris attacks and the U.S. "starting minutes" after the attacks, Comey said. The propaganda released by ISIS and its supporters is "not credible intelligence," he said, adding, "Of course we investigate all those propaganda threats."
Attorney General Loretta Lynch updated reporters on U.S. efforts to assist French investigations. The FBI's legal attaché in Paris has been expanded, and earlier today President Obama spoke over the phone to French President Francois Hollande.
"Our highest priority is and will remain the security of our homeland and the safety of all Americans," she said. "We are operating around the clock... to uncover and disrupt any plot that takes aim at our people."
Comey urged the American people, "Do not let fear become disabling. That is what the terrorists want....They want you to imagine them as something greater than they are."
Instead, he said people should "turn fear into greater awareness" and alert law enforcement to anything unusual. "Then go on living your lives," he said.
CBS News Justice Department Reporter Paula Reid contributed to this report
