New York City on high alert after eight suspected ISIS associates arrested across major US cities

New York City is on high alert for a potential terrorist attack after the arrest of eight men with suspected ISIS links, sparking grave concerns among security officials.

The Port Authority's top security honcho has sounded the alarm over an "extremely serious" threat to New York City following the apprehension of Tajik nationals believed to be connected to ISIS who were nabbed after crossing from Mexico into the US.

Greg Ehrie, the security chief for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, likened the looming danger to a gathering storm, telling CNN's Erin Burnett, "You're seeing all the fronts coming into play."

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He stressed the gravity of the situation but stopped short of divulging details about how an attack might unfold or specific targets within the city.

The suspects, thought to be part of ISIS-Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, were arrested in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, according to Newsweek. Before taking up his current role, Ehrie cut his teeth on terror investigations at the FBI, the report added.

Ehrie raised the possibility of an imminent attack following the Friday arrests during his appearance on CNN. The detainees are currently being held on immigration charges, with no formal accusations of terrorism levelled against them yet, insiders told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The connection of eight individuals to ISIS remains a mystery, with only suspicions linking them to the terrorist group ISIS-K. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force had been monitoring these individuals, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now collaborating with the JTTF to deport them. These individuals had previously entered the country last spring, passing through government screening without raising any red flags.

In a joint statement from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, it was confirmed that the arrests involved "several non-citizens", but no further details were provided. However, they did note that the US is currently in a "heightened threat environment".

These arrests have reinforced this warning, but are not the cause of it. Following the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel by Hamas militants, terroristic threat levels in the US have surged, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

This invasion triggered another intense round of conflict between Hamas and Israeli forces, resulting in the death of over 36,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including many women and children, as Israel attempts to eliminate Hamas completely.

Wray also expressed concerns at a congressional hearing about potential terrorist threats targeting border vulnerabilities.

The agencies stated, "The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security."

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