Few of the terrorist plots against the U.S. from 2001 onward were attempted or enacted by suspects from the seven countries President Donald Trump slapped with a travel ban late last week, according to analysis published Sunday by The Wall Street Journal.
The findings were based on the newspaper's review of numerous law enforcement and other findings compiled by the New America Foundation, the publication reported on Sunday.
The newspaper said of 180 people charged with jihadist terrorism-related crimes, or who died before being charged, 11 were identified as hailing from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Sudan or Somalia. On Friday, Trump signed an executive order banning citizens of those countries from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days, while indefinitely suspending entry for refugees from Syria.
Yet none them came directly from those countries, nor were any involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks or other major U.S. plots that killed Americans, the Journal said. The 19 attackers on Sept. 11 were from Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—all of which are not affected by Trump's ban.
About 85 percent of all suspects who made attempts towards terror-related acts in the U.S. were U.S. citizens or legal residents, and about half were born as citizens in the U.S., the Journal said, citing New America Foundation's findings.