AG Holder Worried About Home-Grown Terror Attacks: 'We Might Have Missed Something

WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder says he's worried about terrorist attacks on the U.S. by Americans. And high on his list of concerns is the threat posed by anti-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen believed to be hiding in Yemen.

Holder says al-Awlaki has a familiarity with the U.S. that terrorists usually lack. He says he puts him on the list of people who worry him the most, along with al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden, but adds, "Whether he's one, two, three, four, I don't know."

In an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," Holder said the terrorism threat is real and constant. He says he's concerned that the authorities may have missed a signal that an attack is coming.

"It is one of the things that keeps me up at night," Holder said. "You didn't worry about this even two years ago -- about individuals, about Americans, to the extent that we now do. And -- that is of -- of great concern."

"The threat has changed from simply worrying about foreigners coming here, to worrying about people in the United States, American citizens -- raised here, born here, and who for whatever reason, have decided that they are going to become radicalized and take up arms against the nation in which they were born," he added.

The threat of home-grown terror and the feeling officials may have "missed something" prompted a grim warning: Americans have to be prepared for "potentially bad news."

This story has been updated with more quotes.