Chertoff Fears Europe Could be Staging Ground for Terrorists

Is the Department of Homeland Security Secretary concerned that terrorist cells are using Europe as a staging ground for attacks on the United States? A new article says it is.

The Associated Press’ D’Arcy Doran says Secretary Michael Chertoff told the BBC last week he was concerned about how easy it is for Europeans to travel to the US, and said there is evidence of homegrown terrorism in European countries.

“One of the things we’ve become concerned about lately is the possibility of Europe becoming a platform for a threat against the United States,” Chertoff told the BBC.

But despite Chertoff’s fears, Doran says Washington has no plans to start asking Europeans to apply for visas to travel to the US. Chertoff says they may be required to register online before traveling.

“We have the visa waiver program, which allows most Europeans who come to be tourists to come without visas - that means the first time we encounter them is when they arrive in the United States, and that creates a very small window of opportunity to check them out,” he said.