The high terror alert for the upcoming July 4 holiday has reached both coasts. Just days after Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said that New York City law enforcement is the most concerned about public safety it has been since 9/11, the Los Angeles Police Department made a similar statement.
"The threat stream is very high. In fact, we don't think it's been this high since 9/11," Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Michael Downing told Los Angeles ABC News affiliate KABC.
Downing was interviewed by CNN on Friday and cited the amount of domestic terrorists in the United States as a reason the threat is so high.
"The threat stream has never been this high. We've had more disruptions in the United States in a period of time than we've ever seen before," Downing said. "We have more of a population of homegrown violent extremist in our country than we've ever seen before. It just makes sense that we are on a higher alert."
Earlier in the week, King told Fox News that New York City law enforcement officials and Homeland Security are "the most concerned" about national safety since 9/11.
"If American people see something, say something," King said, citing an ISIS attack in America as a serious threat. "I think that's especially true for people in the Muslim community, because that's where the threat is going to come from. I'm really calling on, if they know anything at all, out of the ordinary, let the police know because we're talking about potential life and death here."
Last week, Homeland Security, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center issued a security bulletin to all local law enforcement agencies in the country, according to CNN:
"The bulletin doesn't warn of any known active plots. But it serves as a general warning of heightened threats. It says extremists could launch attacks tied to Independence Day or in reaction to perceived defamation of the Prophet Mohammed."
