John Brennan, CIA Director Warning: ‘Not The Only Operation’ In ISIS Pipeline [Video]

Speaking at the 2015 Global Security Forum with the Center for Strategic & International Studies, CIA Director John Brennan discussed the terror attacks in Paris.

A rumor has circulated for several years that John Brennan is a Muslim, due to the fact that, when he was sworn-in as CIA director, he used the U.S. Constitution rather than The Bible, according to Snopes and that the film Zero Dark Thirty, listed with IMDb, included a fictional high-level CIA official referred to as “The Wolf,” that some have reportedly speculated is based on Brennan. Snopes concluded that Brennan probably isn’t a Muslim, that he probably doesn’t hold very strong religious beliefs, and that if he is a member of Islam, that no one in government deems it important enough to discuss.

One thing is clear, John Brennan is no fan of ISIS, having referred to the group as “psychopathic thugs” and “murderers,” according to CBS. Brennan also clearly holds a high regard for peaceful proponents of Islam and makes a clear distinction between them and radicals.

“Let’s make it very clear that the people who carry out acts of terrorism — whether it be al-Qaeda or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — are doing it because they believe it is consistent with what their view of Islam is,” Brennan was quoted earlier in 2015. “It is totally inconsistent with the overwhelming majority of Muslims throughout the world.”

Brennan described the hearts of Americans “aching” for French victims and their families. He also described ISIS’s actions as “criminal” and “morally depraved” and being made using “bogus” religious justifications.

The CIA director then addressed what he sees as ISIS broadening its reach beyond what he described as the “killing fields” of Iraq and Syria with an “external operations agenda” that he feels the group has now begun to implement with “lethal effect.”

Brennan called on the international community for an “unprecedented” level of collaboration and communication in a coordinated effort to put a stop to ISIS through diplomatic, law enforcement, and military channels. Brennan noted that some, though unfortunately not all, terrorist threats have been successfully stopped through the collaboration of invested parties.

Brennan spoke about working closely with Egypt to stop ISIS from making an inroads in the country as well as Russian officials toward coordinating a plan to put a stop to the jihadi radicals. The CIA Director also addressed the importance of quality, timely intelligence.

The director stated that, over the past three years, there have been more “outbreaks of instability” than at any time since the fall of the Soviet Union. Conflict in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, and African countries has resulted in more people being displaced from their homes than at any time since World War II.

CIA chief Brennan described the ISIS attacks in Paris as being planned over several months and that he anticipates that they are probably not the only terror operations that ISIS has in their “pipeline.” According to Politico, Brennan did not offer any evidence of any specific threats, only that, given the nature of ISIS, more attacks are seen as likely and Paris was most probably not a “one-off” event.

He described U.S. partners in Europe being “challenged” with the number of nationals who have traveled to Syria and Iraq and back again and attempting to keep track of them. He also described “legal, policy, and other actions” that he feels have hindered the ability of the CIA and the international community to find and bring ISIS to justice and made the task “much more challenging.”

[Feature Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]