Americans View ISIS As Their Greatest Threat

The Islamic State is seen as the gravest threat to the United States, according to a new poll from Gallup. The group released its latest horror video at the weekend, showing the mass beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya. The gruesome images have suggested that Isis is expanding its reach into North Africa, far from its current battlegrounds and havens in Iraq and Syria. Egypt carried out airstrikes in response to the beheadings.

84 percent of people in the US consider the Islamic State and international terrorism in general the most critical threats to American security. Iran's nuclear ambitions and North Korea's military strength follow with 77 and 64 percent respectively. The conflict between Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels has strained relations between Washington and Moscow in recent months, but nevertheless, tensions with Russia are lower on Americans' list of potential threats.