State Department: No ‘Specific, Credible’ New Year’s Threats

Although terror threat levels have been heightened around the world, and extraordinary precautions taken in major American cities, the U.S. State Department is aware of no “specific, credible threats here in the homeland.”

That was the word from State Dept. spokesman John Kirby in an interview on MSNBC. Kirby discussed precautions that were being undertaken from a general sense of caution, noting that “we’re always very concerned about the safety and security of the American people, particularly around the holidays.”

A similar statement from the FBI was quoted by Fox News: “While the FBI and Department of Homeland Security are not aware of any specific, credible threats to the homeland, we continue to take proactive steps to ensure personnel and resources are in place to ensure the safety and security of our communities.”

Fox cited security analysts who noted that terrorist chatter about possible attacks always increases around the holiday, along with false reports about terror plots.

However, the 2015 holiday season is obviously darkened by the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, and at least one extremely serious New Year’s Eve attack appears to have been thwarted in Belgium, where police in the capital of Brussels detained six more suspects on Thursday.

President Obama was reportedly briefed on a terrorist threat against New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. before leaving for Hawaii on vacation, but CNN describes the threat warning as “uncorroborated and based on a single source.”