The head of US’ National Security Agency defended Washington’s spying activities, saying there was no better way to protect the United States against potential threats.

The head of US’ National Security Agency defended Washington’s spying activities, saying there was no better way to protect the United States against potential threats.

"There is no other way to connect the dots,'' Keith Alexander told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, as he asked US lawmakers not to abolish the NSA’s mass collection programs.

"We cannot go back to a pre-9/11 moment,” he said in defense of his agency’s spying on people around the world.

Alexander also claimed that threats to US national security have been mounting in recent months.

Alexander’s remarks come almost six months after disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden showed how the US agency is spying on both Americans and other people around the world.

The NSA spying scandal broke in early June when The Guardian reported that the super spy agency was collecting the telephone records of tens of millions of Americans. Since then, various documents revealed by Snowden have suggested that the agency is also spying on foreign nationals living in the United States as well as many ordinary people and political leaders throughout the world.