FBI Director Christopher Wray said the United States is facing a new wave of terrorist threats due to the ongoing Israel–Hamas war, which started in October.
“What I would say that is unique about the environment that we’re in right now in my career is that while there may have been times over the years where individual threats could have been higher here or there than where they may be right now, I’ve never seen a time where all the threats or so many of the threats are all elevated, all at exactly the same time,” Wray told Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in a Senate hearing.
Graham responded to Wray, saying the “blinking red lights analogy about 9/11 … all the lights were blinking red before 9/11.”
“Would you say there’s multiple blinking red lights out there?” Graham asked the FBI director.
“I see blinking red lights everywhere,” Wray answered admitted.
Wray’s remarks came after Israeli forces descended on southern Gaza’s main city, which was described as the most intense day of combat in over a month since ground operations against Hamas began.
Israel reported that its forces reached the heart of Khan Younis, which appeared to be the biggest ground assault in Gaza since the truce ended.
“We are in the most intense day since the beginning of the ground operation,” said the commander of the Israeli military’s Southern Command, General Yaron Finkelman.
Finkelman said Israeli forces were also fighting in a large urban refugee camp in Jabalia, a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza next to Gaza City, and also in Shuja’iyya.
“We are in the heart of Jabalia, in the heart of Shuja’iyya, and now also in the heart of Khan Younis,” he said.
His remarks came over a month after he warned lawmakers that the Hamas–Israel war could spark a new wave of terrorism, in the U.S., adding that Hamas could inspire ISIS-like attacks.
Indeed, multiple terrorist groups have already called for attacks on America since the conflict began.
“The actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago,” Wray said in October.
The FBI director told lawmakers that Hamas does not have “the intent or capability to conduct operations inside the U.S., though we cannot, and do not, discount that possibility.”
“This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance,” Mr. Wray added.
“You often hear the expression if you see something, say something … that’s never been more true than now,” he continued.
CBS News reported that Wray also warned that terrorists may try to exploit the U.S. Southern border, adding that the beau is trying to “identify and disrupt potential attacks.”
“Our top concern stems from lone offenders inspired by — or reacting to — the ongoing Israel-HAMAS conflict, as they pose the most likely threat to Americans, especially Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities in the United States,” Wray said.
“We have seen an increase in reported threats to Jewish and Muslim people, institutions and houses of worship here in the United States and are moving quickly to mitigate them.”
Meanwhile, an internal government report detailed an alleged plot to attack Las Vegas.
Authorities arrested a 16-year-old suspect after he allegedly wrote on social media about launching an ISIS-inspired terror attack.
Investigators recovered a homemade ISIS flag and even bomb parts from the suspect’s home, according to police.
The report added that civilian casualties in Gaza, “whether real, perceived or falsified,” will likely be exploited by terrorist groups.
