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Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Brennan has warned that Ireland may become a target for Islamic terrorism due to the presence of US multinational companies on our shores.
In a interview with
Irish Central, Brennan emphasised the need for Irish authorities to be "vigilant."
Brennan, whose father hailed from Roscommon, took over his role as Director of the CIA in 2013 when he replaced the departing David Petraeus.
When asked about the possibility of extremism occurring in Ireland, the CIA Director had the following response.
“I don’t think any country should feel immune from the reach of these terrorist organizations,” Brennan said.
“Ireland first of all is an open and welcoming country, and also there are also a lot of Americans there and American businesses.
“I was in Ireland last August and I met with the Irish intelligence heads and talked to them about the importance of sharing information, we with the Irish and the Irish with us, and if there is anything that looks or seems a bit off those pieces of the puzzle need to be put together.
“Ireland, as you know, is part of the worldwide landscape where a lot of these (terrorist) groups look to see if they can exploit opportunities. You know, there are a lot of people who travel to Ireland for tourism, business,
education, and I do think it is important for all the intelligence and security services to be vigilant there.”
One-in-five private sector workers in Ireland are employed directly or indirectly through foreign multinationals according to
IDA Ireland.
