US Should Tighten Security Measures in Wake of Paris Attack: Senator

A senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee stated that the White House should take additional steps to protect the American people in the wake of the terrorist attack at Charlie Hebdo.

WASHINGTON, January 8 (Sputnik) — The White House should take additional steps to protect American people in the wake of the terrorist attack at the Charlie Hebdo magazine office in Paris, senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jim Inhofe said in a statement.

"To protect this nation, first and foremost the President needs to lay out a national security strategy, which he has failed to do in recent years, and end sequestration so that we can provide the necessary resources to achieve that strategy," Inhofe said Wednesday. According to his statement, the United States should make sure its embassies and borders are protected and work with allies to prevent future attacks.

Earlier on Wednesday the spokesperson for the US Department of State, Jen Psaki said the agency remains in contact with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other counterparts following the terrorist attack in France, but has not yet made any security changes to protect US citizens.

Several US congressmen expressed readiness to stand with France against terrorism after attack.

"The United States stands ready to assist our French partners, and we join with them in sending a clear message to extremists: your campaign of terror will be stopped and you will be brought to justice," Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Representative Michael McCaul said in a statement.

Senator Dianne Feinstein said in a statement that the terrorist attack in Paris is a reminder of the depravity of violent extremists. "They speak for no religion or political philosophy — they only seek to spread terror and death. Attacks in Mumbai, Nairobi, Brussels, Sydney and now Paris show that terrorists can strike anywhere and underscore the need to remain vigilant," Feinstein said.

The leading Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Representative Eliot Engel stated that "free expression and a free press are among the most cherished values of a free society and two of the strongest tools we have in the fight against violent extremism."

On Wednesday, three masked men opened fire at the Charlie Hebdo headquarters killing 12 people — ten journalists and two police officers. The magazine's editor Stephane Charbonnier is among those killed in the attack. According to media reports, the attackers stated that they were linked to al-Qaeda.