The threat and spirit of ISIS did not die with the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
"ISIS is more than just Baghdadi, as important as he was," Clapper told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union."
The terrorist group had controls in place to keep running in the event one of its leaders was found and killed, according to Clapper.
"ISIS did anticipate losing leadership, so they decentralized and groomed people to assume the role," Clapper told host Jake Tapper. "Now, I don't know that they have anybody who would have the symbolic importance of al-Baghdadi, but I don't think we can say at this point that we can stop worrying about ISIS."
Clapper warns the death of the ISIS leader might even have a reverse effect, rejuvenating the spirit of the terrorist group to strike back.
"What's going to be interesting is the extent of which this negatively affects ISIS, or does it galvanize the remnants of ISIS that still survives as an ideology and has franchises in other places besides Syria," Clapper said.
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