When President Donald Trump banned U.S. entry to travelers from seven “countries of concern” for 90 days, it was primarily “to protect its citizens from foreign nationals who intend to commit terrorist attacks in the United States,” according to his executive order.
Terrorists from the seven countries—Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—have made many attempts to kill Americans in the years since 9/11 and have at times come incredibly close to succeeding.
Just three months ago, Abdul Razak Ali Artan rammed his Honda Civic into a crowd of people in Ohio State University courtyard. He then exited the car brandishing a butcher’s knife and stabbed and slashed at them indiscriminately, injuring 13 people. A police responder arrived at the scene and fatally shot him. Artan came to the United States in 2014 as a Somali refugee. Officials stated that Artan was inspired by online propaganda from the ISIS terrorist group urging Muslims to carry out “lone wolf” attacks in Western countries.
