Sen. Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the war on terror is changing, and the recent terror attacks in France represent “an important moment” in that transition.
In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, the Florida Republican noted that it’s becoming more common for individuals who’ve become radicalized outside of the Middle East to act on their own.
“That’s a very real threat for Europe, but it’s also a threat for everywhere in the West, including here in the United States,” Rubio said. “It is a new and emerging dynamic that we’ve been warning about for a number of years, which I think now is beginning, unfortunately, to come to fruition.”
Last week in France, 17 people were killed in separate attacks by three armed terror suspects. The killings followed a string of violence by extremists around the world, including a recent hostage situation in Sydney.
Rubio, who’s releasing a new book “American Dreams” on Tuesday, said the front lines of the war against terror are shifting. While the fight has traditionally taken place against groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS, a new element has emerged of individuals becoming radicalized outside of the Middle East, either in a mosque or online.
“And that radicalism turns into activism in the case of this terrorist attack.”