Mark Warner urges Americans to ‘carry on’ after terrorist attacks

Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that there is no specific threat to the U.S. related to the terrorist attack in London and urged Americans to “carry on” as usual in the face of radical Islamic terrorism.

“I think what you are seeing in Britain is a resoluteness but also a recognition that as when British went through three decades of IRA-related terrorism they will carry on and I think in many ways that’s what we need to do here in our country as well,” the Virginia Democrat said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Mr. Warner said that a better integrated Muslim-American community had helped the U.S. avoid the same spate of radical Islamic terrorist attacks recently suffered in Britain.

“I think we are seeing, again, the benefits of that,” he said. “That’s why it troubled me so much to see the type of tweets the president has put out in the last 12 hours.”

In the wake of the attack, President Trump said on Twitter that the violence underscored the need impose his proposed temporary travel ban that is blocked by U.S. courts and that “political correctness” made Americans vulnerable to attacks.

The United Kingdom was rocked Saturday night when terrorists in a van mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge and then went on a stabbing spree in a nearby market, killing seven and wounding at least 48 others.

One of the attackers, who wore fake suicide vests, reportedly screamed, “This is for Allah!”

Police killed three attackers at the scene.

“They still don’t know for sure if this was terrorist inspired or terrorist directed, whether this was homegrown or actually directed by ISIS or al Qaeda. That will take a while longer in terms of investigation,” said Mr. Warner, who was briefed by intelligence officials.

’There is no specific threat against the United States but obviously we have seen our strongest ally, Great Britain, now hit three times,” he said. “Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to them.”

The London attack was the third terrorist strike in Britain in as many months, including a suicide bombing less than two weeks ago at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that killed 22 people.