Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff this week reiterated what the nation’s top intelligence official earlier told Congress about concerns that terrorist organizations are actively trying to recruit Western Europeans for attacks in Europe and the US.

US counterterror intelligence officials have been increasingly concerned that Al Qaeda and affiliated terror groups are recruiting Europeans with valid passports for possible attacks on the US, since valid passport holders do not require US visas.

Indeed. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told the Senate Judiciary Committee in September that Western Europeans are being recruited specifically because they typically do not need visas to enter the US and are not on any intelligence services' radar.

Intelligence officials had earlier told HSToday.us about intelligence on these recruiting activities, as well as possible methodologies and surprising techniques they’ve shown interest in using to carry out an attack. This will be the focus of an upcoming edition of HSToday.

"These are the true sleepers," said one official. "They're the ones who are able to move around completely unnoticed - they're virtually undetectable if we don't have any clue about them - and we know Al Qaeda is working to recruit these types of people."

"The hardest person to detect is someone who comes in with a clean record, a legitimate passport, an easy understanding of how to operate in the West because they've grown up there, and an intent to carry out a murderous act," Chertoff said.

Europe is “a place where we know they are recruiting operatives who can pass freely in Western Europe," Chertoff, adding, "whether the attack is aimed at Western Europe or aimed at coming to the US from Western Europe, that's one of the things we have to be focused on."

Chertoff also said it’s because of these and other concerns that the US is now beginning to require more information, including biometric information and fingerprints, of foreigners visiting the US.
Chertoff said we’re trying "to make it harder for people to slip under the radar."