Terrorists are hiding out in mosques because they know that political correctness is shutting down surveillance programs by authorities, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik told
Newsmax TV on Friday.
"That's happening all across the country," Kerik, who oversaw the city's forces on 9/11, told "Newsmax Now" host Miranda Khan. "But the reality is these bad guys know it."
Watch Newsmax TV on
DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Ch. 223 and
Verizon FiOS Ch. 115. Get Newsmax TV on your cable system —
Click Here Now
"It's just like in Iraq, in Syria: If you don't want anyone to come near you, you run to the mosque. We had a lot of problems like that in Baghdad."
"These guys know it," Kerik added. "They know that's where they can meet in secrecy."
Phillip Haney, a former Homeland Security employee who was involved in a surveillance effort in California regarding possible terrorists, said that the program had identified the mosque attended by the San Bernardino killers, Syed Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29.
However, the Obama administration shut down the program in 2012, Haney told
"The Kelly File" on Fox News on Thursday.
"The bottom line is that they jeopardize the safety of this country — but they also jeopardize everybody who's in that mosque who are good people," Kerik told Khan. "It's not the first time, it's not going to be the last."
"We're going to continue to have these problems as long as political correctness sort of runs the day."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.