Roundup: Obama assures Americans of "no credible threat" ahead of Thanksgiving holiday

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday there was no specific, credible threat of a terror plot to the U.S. homeland, as authorities scrambled to quell public jitters about possible terrorist attacks during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

The U.S. administration is taking "every possible step" to keep the country safe, Obama said in a speech at the White House, after meeting with his national security team.

While noting that people should remain vigilant, Obama urged the public to go about their normal activities around the weekend's Thanksgiving holiday.

"We know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland," he said that if there were to be a credible threat, the public would be informed.

With memories of the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris still raw, major U.S. cities have beefed up security for the busy travel week in case of a Paris-style attack.

The Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the bloody Paris carnage that killed at least 129 people and injured hundreds of others.

In the speech, the president said the U.S. and its allies will continue to fight the IS "to destroy these terrorists and defeat their ideology."

Meanwhile, the authorities will continue to improve the domestic security to "prevent attacks at home and abroad and to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from entering the United States or other nations, he added.

Obama's assurance came after the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert on Monday, warning its citizens of "increased terrorist threats" after the Paris attacks.

"Current information suggests that ISIL (Islamic State), al-Qaida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions," the State Department said in a warning posted on its website, adding that possible attacks "may employ a wide variety of tactics, using conventional and non-conventional weapons."

"U.S. citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using transportation," it said. "Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds or crowed places," and especially be alerted during holiday times, it said.

The travel alert will expire on Feb. 24, 2016.

IS militants had threatened to bomb the White House and launch more attacks in Paris, according to a video released last week.

However, FBI Director James Comey said that these videos are just a kind of propaganda, "not credible intelligence." Endit