The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Wray, warned there is a rising number of terrorist threats in the United States in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel that left at least 1,300 dead and thousands more injured.
“In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats and we’ve got to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who make take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own,” Wray said during a speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference on Saturday.
“So I’d encourage you to stay vigilant, because as the first line of defense protecting our communities, you’re often the first to see the signs that someone may be mobilizing to violence. I’d also ask you to continue sharing any intelligence or observations you may have, and on our end, we’re committed to doing the same so that together we can safeguard our communities,” Wray added.
Wray’s warning came one day after a former leader and founding member of Hamas urged Muslims around the world to engage in a global day of Jihad.
The X – formerly Twitter – account called End Wokeness sarcastically commented on Wray’s remarks, writing, “Hamas-style terror attacks might be coming to U.S. soil. Good thing we have a secure border.”
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk echoed the account’s concerns about President Joe Biden’s porous U.S.-Mexico border and its potential link to terrorism, responding, “Indeed.”
United States Border Patrol has arrested thousands of “special interest aliens” from the Middle East trying to illegally cross the southern border since 2021, leaked Customs and Border Protection (CBP) documents show, according to Fox News.
“Special interest aliens” are defined as people from foreign countries that have conditions that promote or protect terrorism, or that may pose a threat to U.S. national security.
From Oct. 2021 to Oct. 2023, border agents apprehended 6,386 nationals from Afghanistan, 3,153 from Egypt, 659 from Iran and 538 from Syria, the leaked data shows.
Additionally, agents encountered 12,624 from Uzbekistan, 30,830 from Turkey, 1,613 from Pakistan, 164 from Lebanon, 185 from Jordan, 123 from Iraq and 15,594 from Mauritania.
It is unclear how many of the “special interest aliens” were removed or released into the United States.
