Sen. Scott Brown calls Iran greater threat than al-Qaeda

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks that Iran is now a greater threat than al-Qaeda, according to a news account.

The Associated Press reports:

“The Republican, who serves on the Senate’s Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, recently returned from a trip to Jordan and Israel with his terrorism adviser and said that as dangerous as [al-Qaeda] is, the world’s greatest threat is now from Iran.”

"There are tentacles everywhere from what I’ve learned and seen and have researched from Iran," Brown said Saturday at the annual meeting of the New England Associated Press News Executives Association, according to AP.

Brown also said he has been briefed on foiled terrorist attacks that have not been made public. “We face a wide array of issues and enemies who want to hurt us,” he said.

The senator – who was elected in January to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) – also said that terrorists are recruiting in the U.S. and that extremist groups are training at least 20 Americans, according to AP.