US authorities foiled attacks planned to kill Americans around the Fourth of July, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

FBI Director James Comey said on Thursday that more than 10 people in the month before the Independence Day holiday who were inspired by the ISIL terrorist group’s online recruitment were arrested.

"I do believe our work disrupted efforts to kill people likely in connection with July 4th," Comey told reporters at the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC.

He added that some of the attacks were “focused on the Fourth of July, and that's as specific as I can get,” according to NBC News.

US authorities had put local law enforcement on alert for possible attacks around the July 4 holiday. But, no terrorist attacks took place.

ISIL had called on its followers to do what they could wherever they could to launch violent attacks on behalf of the terrorist group.

The FBI chief had called the ISIL tactic as "crowd sourcing terrorism".

The ISIL terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, have beheaded three American, two British and two Japanese hostages in recent months. The videos of their beheadings were posted online.

In June last year, ISIL sent its militants into Iraq, seizing around one-third of the territory of the country. They are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.

They have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.