Security Level Heightened at Michigan's Sefridge, Other U.S. Military Bases

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U.S. military bases across the country are on heightened after an an unverified threat by ISIS that it has soldiers trained in more than a dozen states – including the named states of Michigan, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois and California – and ready to strike.

Penny Carroll, chief of public affairs at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan’s Harrison Township, said the Force Protection Condition (FPCon) security level has been increased from Alpha to Bravo, The Detroit News is reporting.

The Force Protection Condition, casually known as FPCon, is a five-tier system ranking security concerns overseen by the Pentagon. The Bravo level is in the middle of the scale, and is defined as an “increased and predictable threat of terrorism.”

Carroll said she couldn’t “get into any of the specific increased techniques or procedures that we’re taking,” but said visitors to the base will be required to show their identification card and may be subject to random vehicle searches.

“Our stringent measures are designed deliberately to help ensure the well-being of our people, our missions and our community,” Carroll said.

The heightened security comes days after ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack at an event in Texas featuring caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

Earlier this week, an online message signed by “Abu Ibrahim Al Ameriki” said the incident in Texas was “only the beginning of our efforts to establish a wiliyah (authority or governance) in the heart of our enemy.”

It went on to claim ISIS has 71 trained soldiers in 15 states who are “ready at our word to attack any target we desire.”

On Thursday, FBI Director James Comey told reporters there are thousands of ISIS, also known as ISIL, followers online in the United States, CNN is reporting.

“We have a general concern, obviously, that ISIL is focusing on the uniformed military and law enforcement,” he said.

The order increasing the FPCon level at military installations was signed by Admiral William Gortney, head of the U.S. Northern Command, which oversees all U.S. military installations in the continental U.S.

“We have the same concern about the potential threat posed by violent homegrown extremists,” Captain Jeff Davis, spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command, said.

CNN has a database of Americans who are linked to ISIS.

See Also:

• ISIS Threat Includes Michigan, May Be ‘Psychological Warfare’
• Attorney: Dearborn Cleric Popular with ISIS Faces Unprecedented Scrutiny
• Feds Go After $250K Owed by Dearborn Cleric with ISIS Influence
• Area Muslims Condemn ISIS as ‘Crazy Criminals’ and ‘A Bunch of Gangsters’

The increased security also applies to all National Guard Stations, recruiting stations and ROTC detachments.

The threat level reached its highest level, Delta, after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. CNN said it had been raised to Bravo four times: on Feb. 9, 2003, in response to concerns al Qaeda was planning attacks on American targets; Dec. 21 2003, in response to concerns of attacks during the holidays; May 1, 2011, after the raid that killed Osama bin Laden; and on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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Photo via Wikipedia / Creative Commons