WASHINGTON - Yesterday, a gunman opened fire at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas in a terrorism-related attack against members of the U.S. military. The FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force are leading the investigation, supported by DHS’s U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service and ICE Homeland Security Investigations. Thank you to the Naval Air Station’s security forces and all the law enforcement organizations for their swift work in responding to the attack.
It is clear that the United States remains a top target for terrorists and terrorist organizations all over the world. Our military personnel just faced a separate deadly naval base attack in December where an al-Qaeda inspired shooter killed three service members in Pensacola, Florida.
DHS’s counterterrorism mission remains its top priority since its founding after the 9/11 attacks, with particular focus on Foreign Terrorist Organizations. We will continue to make substantial progress in our ability to detect, prevent, protect against, and mitigate the threats posed to the American people by these groups and by those who adhere to their distorted ideologies. The men and women of the Department across all of our components continue to stand watch all over the country to protect the American people, the homeland, and our values.