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Obama: No Specific, Credible Terrorist Threat Against U.S.

President Obama, with Attorney General Loretta Lynch standing by, makes a statement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House following a meeting with his national security team Wednesday.
Nicholas Kamm
/
AFP/Getty Images
President Obama, with Attorney General Loretta Lynch standing by, makes a statement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House following a meeting with his national security team Wednesday.

After meeting with his national security team, President Obama made a public statement that there is no specific, credible threat against the U.S. at this time, urging Americans to go about their Thanksgiving activities as usual.

Obama acknowledged that the deadly attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 struck a deep chord with many Americans.

"Given the shocking images, I know Americans have been asking each other whether it's safe here — whether it's safe to fly or gather," the president said, a fear he called understandable.

"We know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland," he said from the White House.

"In the event of a specific, credible threat, the public will be informed."

The president said the U.S. is taking "every possible step" to ensure safety, including airstrikes overseas against the self-proclaimed Islamic State and security measures across the U.S. — and that the nation's police, intelligence and counterterrorism workers won't be taking a break for the holidays.

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Camila Flamiano Domonoske covers cars, energy and the future of mobility for NPR's Business Desk.