‘Islamist terrorism is the greatest threat to United States’: DNI Tulsi Gabbard warns of ‘rising extremism’

The USA’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says Islamist terrorism remains the most serious threat facing the United States today. In an interview with ABC, published on 15 November 2025, she warned that the threat has evolved from large, organised groups abroad to include lone-wolf attackers radicalised online. She said the lessons she learned after 9/11 still shape her approach to national security. Gabbard said the US intelligence community now faces a more diffuse threat landscape. Instead of structured terrorist organisations directing operations from overseas, individuals radicalised online or inspired remotely present growing risks. She said ODNI, together with federal and local partners, has disrupted several lone-wolf plots, but identifying such actors is bec