releases: https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=64f31b08-3232-47a3-84ca-61ab293a4ac6
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=64f31b08-3232-47a3-84ca-61ab293a4ac6 | Isakson Calls for Answers on Presence of Known, Suspected Terrorists | 2015-12-14 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Republican | House | GA | Johnny Isakson | I000055 | www.isakson.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., joined his Senate colleagues in calling for answers from top U.S. security officials on how the administration is ensuring that there are no former or current known terrorists presently residing in the United States. In a letter sent last week to the heads of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, Isakson and his colleagues pointed to past instances where terrorists were admitted into the U.S. through the refugee program. Given these instances, the senators have requested information on what recommendations or adjustments have been made to the refugee program as a result of them. They also requested the findings of past FBI probes on dozens of other suspected terrorists and whether the administration has any reason to believe known terrorists are in the U.S. as part of the refugee program. In the aftermath of the November 13th terrorist attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people and injured hundreds more, Isakson also wrote to President Obama urging the administration to ensure that no members, supporters or sympathizers of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, are infiltrating Syrian refugee movements to enter the United States. The full text of the letter signed by Isakson along with U.S. Senators Mark Kirk, R-Ill., John Cornyn, R-Texas, David Vitter, R-La., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., John Boozman, R-Ark., Mike Lee, R-Utah, Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Cory Gardner, R-Colo., is included below: December 11, 2015 Dear Director Comey, Secretary Johnson, and Secretary Kerry: In 2013, a failure to screen Iraqi refugees allowed two al Qaeda-linked terrorists to settle in Bowling Green, KY. ABC News reported that these arrests led to a 6-month suspension of the refugee program and an FBI investigation of dozens of suspected terrorists.[1] An ABC News investigation in 2013 reported that a flawed system of U.S. background checks allowed Waad Ramadan Alwan and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, two al Qaeda in Iraq (now called ISIS) terrorists who were part of a bomb-making group responsible for dozens of roadside bombs, one of which killed four members of the Pennsylvania National Guard. After a tip led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to begin investigating Alwan and Hammadi, the FBIs Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) managed to match Alwans fingerprints to those found on an unexploded roadside bomb discovered by U.S. troops in Iraq years earlier. Alwan and Hammadi were arrested two years later in an FBI sting operation attempting to send arms and explosives, including Stinger missiles, to insurgents in Iraq. Our law enforcement and intelligence communities deserve great praise for stopping these terrorists from killing more Americans. Yet the terrorists should have never been given the chance. Were there recommendations made to the refugee program as a result of this incident? What are the findings from the FBI investigation on the other dozens of suspected terrorists? Are there former or current known terrorists in the U.S. as part of the refugee program? We look forward to a timely response that we can share with the American people. Sincerely, Mark Kirk, R-Ill. John Cornyn, R-Texas David Vitter, R-La. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V. John Boozman, R-Ark. Mike Lee, R-Utah Jerry Moran, R-Kan. Tim Scott, R-S.C. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |