Homeland Security Secretary gives terrorism talk at University of Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The threat of terrorism is changing and the Secretary of Homeland Security spoke in Chicago Tuesday about how terror is evolving and ways to respond before it threatens our security.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired general, said what is changing is an increasing number of American citizens being radicalized through websites and social media in America as opposed to being radicalized abroad. That is what the Trump Administration is trying to combat.

From September 11 to the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orland, the United States is still very much embroiled in a war on terror. Tuesday, students at the University of Chicago had front row seats to find out how the Department of Homeland Security is fighting back.

"We have relationships with almost every country on the planet to some degree or another exchanges information on terrorism," Secretary Kelly said.

But there is also a homegrown threat the Kelly is concerned about: when young men log into terrorist websites and become radicalized through their computer right here in the U.S. He tells us homeland security is working with local law enforcement like the Chicago Police Department to stop the would-be terrorists. And he had a message for all Americans.

"If you see someone doing something crazy, saying the wrong things, going down the wrong road, whether it's white supremacists, hate groups, or Islamic radicals, say something," he said.

Kelly said he also has his eye on numerous terrorist cells trying to take down an American airliner but have yet to pull it off. He said that's a testament to the strength of the Transportation Security Administration.

As for his boss, President Donald Trump, Kelly said the president is intensely dedicated to protecting the homeland but did not mention recent criticism directed toward Trump after the president was accused of sharing classified information about a terror threat with a Russian foreign minister. The White House denied any wrongdoing Tuesday.