The National Counterterrorism Center issued a sobering memo Friday warning that U.S.-designated terrorist group al-Qaida and its Yemen-based affiliate, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, remain intent on striking America.

In a nationwide advisory distributed to law enforcement, the agency said the groups are seeking to exploit ongoing global conflicts and U.S. involvement overseas.

The memo read:

[Al-Qaida and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula] are likely seeking to leverage their media publications and global conflicts, particularly where there is U.S. support or military involvement, to inspire potential attackers.

The National Counterterrorism Center, created in 2004 after the 9/11 attacks, urged government personnel to heighten vigilance. Officials were told not to share travel plans online, to avoid carrying badges or IDs outside of work, and to stay alert for surveillance.

The memo also highlighted soft targets, including sporting events and concerts, urging local authorities to deploy visible law enforcement and conduct pre-event security briefings. The agency stressed that the intelligence was being shared to equip local agencies with the tools to disrupt potential attacks.

While the memo underscored a general threat environment, conservative activist and journalist Laura Loomer issued far more dire warnings Friday night on X, having claimed al-Qaida cells have already infiltrated U.S. soil and are planning coordinated, multicity attacks.

Loomer wrote:

Sources tell me tonight that the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has officially determined that Islamic terrorists affiliated with Al Qaeda have infiltrated U.S. soil and are actively planning a series of coordinated Islamic terror attacks.

Further:

This marks the first time federal counterterrorism officials have openly acknowledged the immediacy of such threats.

And:

[T]errorists are preparing to impersonate first responders by purchasing police and EMT uniforms from surplus stores and online vendors.

She said the aim is to blend in during attacks, redirect panicked crowds, and launch secondary strikes.

More chillingly, Loomer reported:

Hospitals and medical facilities in major cities—including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Miami—have been scouted.

She said:

Terrorists allegedly intend to cripple trauma centers and emergency rooms, preventing treatment of the wounded and compounding casualties.

Loomer wrote:

One Department of Homeland Security source described the potential scenario as ‘horrific beyond comprehension.’

The warnings serve as a stark reminder that the threat of Islamist terror has not faded.

In June, Saad bin Atef al-Awlaki, leader of al-Qaida in Yemen, released a 34-minute video in which he called for jihad against the U.S., including the assassination of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. This video emerged after U.S. officials reaffirmed their support for Israel.

Making an open call to moslems in the U.S. to seek vengeance, al-Awlaki said:

There are no boundaries left after what has occurred—and continues to occur—to our people in Gaza.

Further:

As an initial and decisive action, I call upon every [moslem] living in the sinful, arrogant, and criminal United States—whether Arab, American, or of any other descent.

And:

The only thing that matters is that they are [moslems], followers of the Prophet Muhammad.

U.S. military and intelligence operations have severely weakened al-Qaida in operations since the group was blamed for killing nearly 3,000 Americans in the deadliest attack on U.S. soil on Sept. 11, 2001.  However, the terrorist group has adapted and has inspired lone-wolf attacks. Further, the group continues to attempt to exploit conflict zones from Afghanistan to North Africa.

A Homeland Security report issued late last year noted:

al-Qaida had reinvigorated its outreach to Western

audiences and remained committed to targeting the U.S.