“These were not confused young men. They were not easily influenced. These are focused men who are intent on joining a terrorist organization by any means possible.”

According to the DOJ, at least 9 individuals from Minnesota alone have been arrested and charged in just this one particular conspiracy. In announcing the most recent arrests, Luger made a statement that should rocket past frightening and straight into alarming:

“To be clear, we have a terror recruiting problem in Minnesota.”

And it is not just Minnesota. News reports are now appearing on a weekly basis concerning the increasing number of U.S. citizens from elsewhere in the country who have both successfully traveled abroad and turned up on the battlefield or others arrested in the process of attempting travel for the same purpose. For instance, a completely separate indictment was handed down this week to a Philadelphia woman who also intended to travel overseas in order to join, fight with, and martyr herself on behalf of the Islamic State. Also this week it was reported that a 20 year old woman from Birmingham, Alabama successfully made her way to Syria to join ISIS militants, supposedly after bring recruited via the Internet. And these are just the one’s being publicised.

As AlertsUSA Threat Journal reported just weeks ago, FBI Director James Comey revealed that the bureau is investigating active domestic threats posed by ISIS supporters in all 50 states. That same week, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson stated that there are in fact sleeper cells here in the U.S. which have ongoing contact with the Islamic State and other terrorist groups who have “a desire to conduct an attack” here on U.S. soil.

AlertsUSA again cautions readers of the need to meet with great skepticism the increasing effort of liberal news commentators and public officials to downplay the Islamic angle to these threats. As we pointed out just week, the teachings and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad are absolutely clear: All good Muslims must wage war on unbelievers and other religions and bring them into submission.

The simple truth is that these individuals constantly referred to as “radicals” are walking the walk as prescribed by Islamic teachings. So called “moderate” Muslims are in fact weak members of the faith, no different than individuals who claim to be Christian but rarely see the inside of a church or their Bible.

AlertsUSA continues to monitor the overall domestic and international terrorism threat environment and will immediately notify service subscribers of new alerts, warnings and advisories or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens, as events warrant.

The warning message comes as police departments in several parts of the country are facing criticism and protests over mistreatment of crime suspects. According to the notice, hacker groups are exploiting open source and other publicly available information that identifies law enforcement personnel, their employers and their families. While specific hacking groups are not specifically identified in the alert message, the FBI’s warning comes on the heels of recent threats made by the hacking collective known as Anonymous. One such threat posted earlier in the week to the group’s Twitter account reads as follows:

“Police officers of America we are watching you. Everyone is watching you. We suggest you stop murdering people in your custody.”

Earlier this month a video was posted to the to the Internet threatening the Vineland, NJ police department following a deadly force incident. The names, home addresses, and phone numbers of two Vineland police officers were also posted on a website known to be widely used by Anonymous members. Additional threats have been publicly reported against police departments nationwide.

Similar to other recent warnings issued to members of the armed services and other government employees, this FBI’s warning specifically admonishes law enforcement personal and public officials to be extra discerning regarding the individual pieces, as well as the totality, of the personal information being shared in publicly accessible forums. For instance, something seemingly as innocuous as posting pictures of oneself in uniform with your name tag clearly visible while standing in front of your departmental seal with your spouse and children proudly looking on, and all of it being detailed in a caption, provides significant personal information which can be highly useful to those seeking to do you or your family harm. The problem becomes magnified as other family members and colleagues then repost, retweet, like, share or otherwise redistributes just this one image.

Considering the growing prevalence of social media use and the seemingly incessant need for individuals to share even the most salient aspects of their day to day existence with the world, this warning message from the FBI brings front and center the threat this trend possess if you become targeted.

X-47B First to Complete Autonomous Aerial Refueling
Cuba Moves Closer to Exit U.S. Terror List
The U.S. Joins The World’s Race To Build More Submarines
Pentagon Races to Resettle Guantanamo Inmates

EUROPE

Al-Qaeda Cell Planned Suicide Attack on Vatican
Admiral Warns: Potential for Islamist Raids on European Islands
Russian-backed Rebels in Eastern Ukraine Preparing for Something Big
US Paratroopers Begin Training Ukraine National Guard Units
Threat From Russia ‘Real’ as USA Moves Missiles to Warsaw
Is Russia’s Fifth-Generation Fighter AS Good As America’s F-35 or F-22?

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Troops Prepare to Enter Yemen
US Citizens Fleeing Yemen Tell RT of Abandonment 
Iranian Ships Turn Away From Yemen
US Ships Still Monitoring Iranian Flotilla 
ISIS: The World’s Richest Terror Army
Mixed Progress Reported in Fight Against Islamic State 
Cinematic Sophistication in Execution Videos
Saudis Ignore US, Ignore Iran, Continue Pulverizing Yemen

ASIA

The CIA Has Covertly Cooperated With China Against Russia
China Warns North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal is Expanding
Pirate Attacks Increase in Southeast Asia 
Russia’s Massive Military Buildup in Asia