A joint federal intelligence bulletin obtained by CBS News warns of possible violent extremism and hate crimes in response to the one-year anniversary. of the October 7th attack. The attack on Israel by the extremist group Hamas and the ensuing conflict in Gaza.
The bulletin was written by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center and was first distributed by federal law enforcement agencies to local law enforcement partners late Wednesday.
The agency said the “one-year anniversary of the attack and further significant escalation” in the Israel-Hamas war has “enabled violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators to commit acts of violence and threaten public safety.” “It may be a motive.” The breaking news has been read.
This bulletin provides several recent examples of such threats. Including arrest on September 6th The case of a Pakistani man accused by Canadian authorities of planning a mass shooting at a Jewish center in New York City.
The bulletin comes as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East. Following last week’s Israeli airstrike on Beirut. who killed it Longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Tuesday that Iran retaliated with a volley of missiles at Israel. Launched nearly 200 ballistic missilesmost of which were intercepted by Israeli missile defense systems. Hamas and Hezbollah are both proxies of Iran.
Israel has also started Limited ground operations will be carried out in southern Lebanon this week.
In the wake of the Iranian missile attack, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told CBS News during a Wednesday briefing: “I don’t know if we have a clear assessment of that at this point. We literally don’t know what’s going on. “We are in the early stages of trying to understand.” But we assess that Iran has global capabilities and global capabilities that it can bring to bear and target U.S. interests around the world. Engaging with individuals in the United States in a manner that poses a potential threat to the United States here on the mainland; ”
The official added that this is an area of ”nearly daily engagement” between DHS, the FBI and other law enforcement partners.
The official said Iran was involved in “various post-October 7 efforts,” including “publishing fabricated materials to increase public anger over the post-October 7 situation.” He pointed out that there was.
“Further regional escalation of the conflict could motivate violence targeting Jews, Israelis, or Americans in retaliation for civilian deaths, and threat actors within the United States could We cannot rule out the possibility that the following reaction may occur.” Violence leading to Nasrallah’s death.
Intelligence analysts said in a bulletin that the October 7 attack and the Israeli-Hamas war were “cited as sociopolitical grievances that influenced some individuals’ mobilization of violence in the United States.” , added that “hate crimes spiked immediately after the attack and then declined.” In recent months, it has risen to levels consistent with pre-conflict reporting, a trend that reflects past international conflicts and hate crimes following international events. ”
Immediately after October 7, reports of anti-Semitic incidents continued. rapidly increased in the US The Anti-Defamation League announced that it recorded 2,031 anti-Semitic incidents nationwide from October 7 to December 7, 2023, an increase of 337% compared to the same period in 2022.
“Over the past year, we have observed conflict-related violent extremist activity and hate crimes in the United States,” the bulletin said. “Jewish, Muslim, and Arab institutions such as synagogues, mosques, and community centers, as well as large public gatherings such as monuments, vigils, and other demonstrations, have been threatened with violent attacks and hoaxes by various threat actors. Among them are domestic violent extremists who may see the anniversary as an opportunity to carry out attacks or other high-profile illegal acts. This includes perpetrators of hate crimes.
The same bulletin also made media comparisons between the October 7 and 9/11 attacks, stating that “a lone attacker used firearms, knives, Molotov cocktails, and firebombs against Western targets in retaliation for the deaths.” “We encourage the use of simple tactics such as vehicle ramming.” In Gaza, individuals inspired by this online message could carry out attacks on their own with little warning. ”