U.S. President Obama delivers statement on national security after receiving briefing at the National Counterterrorism Center near Washington.

President Barack Obama said Thursday that there was no “specific” terror threat to the United States but urged Americans to remain alert over the holiday period.

“At this moment our intelligence and counterterrorism professionals do not have any specific and credible information about an attack on the homeland,” Obama told reporters after a terrorism briefing at the Pentagon.

“That said, we have to be vigilant. As I indicated in my address to the nation last week, we are in a new phase of terrorism.”

He also said that “we must remember that all Americans of all faiths and backgrounds as allies in the fight against terrorism.”

Obama, speaking to reporters during a visit with advisers at the National Counterterrorism Center outside Washington, said the United States had prevailed over much greater threats and would prevail over this as well.

“When terrorists pull off a despicable act like what happened in San Bernardino, it tears at our hearts, but it also stiffens our resolve to learn whatever lessons we can and to make any improvements that are needed,” he said.

In a separate story, a New York man pleaded guilty on Thursday to attempting to recruit fighters to join ISIS in Syria.

Mufid A. Elfgeeh, 31, of Rochester, New York entered a guilty plea to two terrorism-related counts before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wolford in federal court in Rochester.

His case is among more than 70 brought by the U.S. Department of Justice against defendants accused of seeking to support the militant group.

Related articles across the web

• Retired cops want a voice in CPD reforms
• Man indicted for soliciting murder of military
• Hospitals to pay US$28 million to settle false spinal treatment claims
• Children: The Collateral Damage of Mass Incarceration
• Marijuana extract slashes pediatric seizures, landmark study confirms
• Program Created in Minn. to Help At-Risk Somali Youth
• Donald Trump Now Has 2 Huge Problems and Is Unelectable
• Obama Claims There's No Threat Of Terrorism Against The U.S
• Obama says no specific, credible terror threat over holidays
• Obama Says No Specific, Credible Terror Threat Over Holidays