() – The approaching anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas and continued turmoil in the Middle East could serve as motivators for acts of violence by extremists, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said in a joint public announcement Friday. .
Although they did not identify specific or credible threats to the United States, the advisory comes ahead of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel and calls by foreign terrorist groups for violence against the West, the agencies said.
The warning also comes as Israel carries out deadly attacks on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Lebanon and evaluates a response to Iran’s recent ballistic missile attack.
As reported, law enforcement agencies across the country have stepped up patrols around Jewish and Muslim institutions in response to recent tensions in the Middle East, the upcoming October 7th anniversary, and the Jewish High Holidays.
The New York Police Department increased patrols on Monday, a law enforcement source told . These are expected to continue for the next two weeks. The department will also partner with state police for bridge and tunnel explosive detection missions, and helicopter units will be used for radiation detection, the source said.
For its part, the Los Angeles Police Department said last week that its stepped-up patrols would include increased numbers of on-duty officers, command post vehicles and horse-mounted units.
Police in Chicago, Miami and Philadelphia have also increased patrols.
In their joint announcement Friday, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said: “Jewish, Muslim or Arab institutions, including synagogues, mosques, Islamic centers and community centers, and large public gatherings, such as memorials, vigils or other demonstrations legal, present attractive targets for violent attacks or false threats by a variety of threat actors, including violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators.”
“Stay aware of your surroundings at all times and report suspicious activity to authorities,” the announcement added.
The agencies assessed that foreign terrorist organizations will likely continue to “exploit narratives” around hostilities involving Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, in order to incite lone attackers to commit violence in the United States.
So-called “lone wolves,” who are not formally part of a terrorist group, present an especially serious challenge to authorities, security sources previously told .
“A group of terrorists communicating with each other provides several avenues for possible exploitation using our surveillance capabilities,” one source said, but noted the more difficult task of detecting a lone individual who may not communicate his attack plans to anyone.
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