STUART, Fla. — President Donald Trump says U.S. troops have taken out the "number one replacement" for ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.This comes after the president boasted about Baghdadi's take down describing the ISIS terrorist to have died like a dog.I t leaves many wondering if the elimination of top ISIS leaders will slow down or increase recruitment around the world.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder says they're receiving information from the FBI as frequently as every month about potential threats in the area; usually they are not credible. He says now more than ever they have to be vigilant for what they consider to be the greatest threat to local law enforcement, online ISIS recruitment.
"Obviously when we have a situation like we see with Baghdadi being taken out and I understand his second in command, the concern for us is that somebody who is maybe on the verge of radicalizing here locally becomes embolden and then becomes aggressive and carries out some plan," said Sheriff Snyder.
Sheriff Snyder says his office is part of a FBI task force that closely monitors potential ISIS recruitment or threats.
"We know very quickly somebody in that sphere is making threats that would affect us here in Martin County," said the sheriff.
The sheriff says there's a fine line between freedom of expression and sharing violent ISIS videos to incite terrorism. He also believes the elimination of top ISIS leaders by U.S. troops overseas has a huge impact on local law enforcement.
"The best line of defense is a good offense and better that the Delta forces and the SEAL teams and the Marines and everybody else take ISIS terrorists out over there than I have to find them here," said Sheriff Snyder.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office encourages people to report any suspicious activity online or even information shared by a neighbor or friend that just doesn't seem right. It could be violent ISIS videos or questions on how to build a bomb, anything that could be tied to terrorist activity.
