FBI warns Hamas violence could inspire attacks in US

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned on Tuesday that Hamas rampage inside Israel could inspire violence in the US, telling lawmakers that multiple foreign extremist groups have called for attacks against Americans and the West in recent weeks.

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned on Tuesday that the Hamas rampage inside Israel could inspire violence in the US. Wray told lawmakers that multiple foreign extremist groups have called for attacks against Americans and the West in recent weeks.

Wray's Testimony

In his testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Wray gave his most detailed and ominous assessment of potential threats to the US since the Oct 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli soldiers and civilians.

"We assess that 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 years ago,” Wray said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

Concerns About Attacks by Individuals or Small Groups

Though the FBI isn’t currently tracking an "organized threat” in the United States, law enforcement is concerned about the potential of attacks by individuals or small groups, as occurred during the rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq a decade ago.

The bureau has already seen an increase in attacks on overseas military bases and expects cyberattacks targeting American infrastructure to get worse as the conflict expands, he said.

Increase in Threats Against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab American Communities

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, meanwhile, said his agency has responded to an increase in threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab American communities in the US since the Oct 7 attack.

"Hate directed at Jewish students, communities and institutions add to a preexisting increase in the level of antisemitism in the United States and around the world,” he said.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are taking the threat of violence inspired by the Hamas rampage seriously. They are urging Americans to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.