Rubio: Paris Terrorist Attack Is a ‘Template for Similar Attacks Elsewhere’

‘This is much more than a lone wolf attack, it was coordinated and well executed’

BLITZER: “You're a key member of the Intelligence Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Do you have a good idea, a good conclusion now, who is responsible for those people who were killed?”

RUBIO: “Well, we're learning -- obviously, the French are the point people involved in the investigation. So as they share that information, and I know the U.S. is collaborating with them, more will become available to us that we can publicly discuss. I will say this. That is an important moment in terms of understanding the transition in the war on terror. The tradition of the war on terror has been targeting the core of these groups, primarily al Qaeda and ISIL, and that remains an important part of it. But the second element of it now is these individuals that sometimes are not even travelling to the Middle East, although in this instance apparently at least one or two of them did. Individuals who were born abroad, outside of the Middle East, raised in these countries but become radicalized, even in the mosque or online and that radicalism turns into activism in the case of this terrorist attack. And that's a very real threat for Europe, but it's also threat for everyone in the West, including here in the United States. It is a new emerging dynamic that we've warning about for a number of years which I think now is beginning unfortunately to come to fruition."

BLITZER: “So do you believe this was a coordinated cell plot, not just two or three isolated, so-called lone wolfs who were inspired if you will, to go ahead and kill these people."

RUBIO: “I think this is much more than just lone wolf attack. Now, in terms of whether it was directed from an ISIL headquarter somewhere about time, place and manner is different, but certainly this goes beyond simply, you know, couple of [indecipherable] individuals who took this on. This was a coordinated, well executed for a lack of a better term operation that they conducted and I think sets a template for similar attacks elsewhere in the world in the future."  

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