State Department spokesman John Kirby said Donald Trump's inauguration will go on as planned despite recent global terror attacks. | Getty State Department spokesman: Recent attacks won't change inauguration security plans

A wave of attacks in Europe has not altered security plans for the inauguration next month of President-elect Donald Trump, a State Department spokesman said, since the alert level for the high-profile event was already high.

“There's always going to be a high level of interest in making sure that force protection is taken to be a very, very high priority during periods of transition, presidential transition, and that's nothing new,” John Kirby said Tuesday on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” “The interagency as well as local law enforcement are taking that seriously as we prepare for the inauguration, but periods of transition between presidential administrations have known some sort of testing by the international system of America's strength, and we are all mindful of that.”


Kirby said U.S. concerns about terrorism were already elevated even before outbursts of violence Monday in Germany, Switzerland and Turkey. In Berlin, a terrorist, who police said likely remains at large, drove a truck into a Christmas market, killing 12 people. In Ankara, the Russian ambassador to Turkey was assassinated by a man who shouted in Turkish not to forget Syria and Aleppo, then yelled in Arabic “Allahu akbar,” which means "God is great."

In Zurich, three people were injured when a man opened fire inside an Islamic center. That gunman, a 24-year-old Swiss man, was found dead, and police said he likely committed suicide.

Kirby said Americans should be especially vigilant as they head out during the holiday season, when the threat of terrorism attacks climbs, but that there is “no reason” to stay home entirely.

“In terms of what is going on around the world, we are always vigilant, particularly this time of year. Back in November, before Thanksgiving, we issued a travel alert for Europe, and not to discourage people from going there but to make sure they were mindful and vigilant as they were out at public events including festivals and markets such as what happened yesterday in Berlin,” Kirby said. “We want people to keep their head on a swivel and don't want them to stay home, and there's no reason to do that, but clearly during the holiday season is a time to always be very vigilant and self-aware of your surroundings.”

