Americans must watch the sickening video in which journalist James Foley is beheaded to fully realize how dangerous the terror group Islamic State is to the United States, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik says.
"I believe every American and every person that lives in freedom who lives in a democracy like ours, they need to watch the video. They need to see this savagery, the barbaric behavior of these people," Kerik said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
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"They have to understand if we don't stop ISIS, if we don't stop radical Islamic terrorists from doing this and more, they're going to be in a neighborhood near you, they're going to be in our communities, they're going to be in this country.
"There's no better way to understand it than to watch that video, as tragic, as barbaric and savage as it is."
Kerik, who was interim minister of interior of Iraq under President George W. Bush, made his plea hours after IS, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), released a video in which Foley is seen kneeling in front his executioner, who is dressed from head to toe in black. After both make statements on camera, Foley is beheaded.
"This is an element that is mass-murdering Christians all around the world . . . it's a threat to Iraq and Syria right now, it's a threat to their neighbors. It's a threat to some of our greatest allies in the region, which is Jordan and Israel," Kerik said.
"But it's a far greater threat [to the U.S.], especially when you have the border circumstance that we have here in this country. These people are going to get in here . . .
"If you watch the actual video, the terrorist has a pretty substantial British accent. That is something that should be extremely, extremely concerning to America, to Britain, and others around the world."
On the ongoing rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, where a young black man was shot dead by a white police officer, Kerik says aggressive law-enforcement tactics are needed to stop the violence.
"What I've seen over the last several days requires a very aggressive police response. Disturbance control, riot control response," he said.
"You can't let people destroy personal and private property, throw Molotov cocktails and shoot guns in the midst of crowds.
"You can't do that, and the police are going to have to respond, and that's what we're seeing. But I would leave that up to the police experts and not the media and not the critics."
A grand jury is weighing evidence to determine whether charges should be brought against police officer Darrell Wilson. But Kerik doubts that Wilson, if he is charged, could ever get a fair trial in Ferguson — or anywhere else.
"I've got to be honest, I don't think he's getting a fair shake at all. I mean, if you're talking about having an influence on the jury pool, he's been crucified by the entire country, if you will," he said.
"A lot of people have slaughtered this guy's ability to have a fair trial."
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