The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have issued a warning of possible threats to the United States on Monday, Oct. 7, the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
The agencies assessed that the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in addition to the escalation of the conflict in recent weeks involving Iran and Hezbollah, “may be a motivating factor for violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators to engage in violence or threaten public safety.”
The warning highlights that there has been a rise in hate crime and extremist activity against Jewish and Muslim institutions in the past year since the conflict in the Middle East erupted.
“FTOs [foreign terrorist organizations] and other violent extremists likely will continue to exploit narratives related to the conflict to call for lone attackers to conduct violence in the United States,” said the FBI-DHS joint advisory.
Online messaging from such actors, the agencies say “could motivate threat actors across ideologies, including those who espouse violent anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, to engage in violence.”
“Individuals inspired by this online messaging could act alone to commit an attack with little to no warning,” the agencies said.
Both the Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported a marked rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim complaints, respectively, in 2023, with most coming in the final three months of the year.
The ADL tabulated in 2023 8,873 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., a 140% increase from 2022 and the highest on record since 1979.
Violent assaults increased by 45% to 161 incidents, vandalism increased by 69% to nearly 2,200 incidents, and harassment increased by 184% to more than 6,500 incidents.
The ADL, in mid-September, began calling on universities to prepare for the Oct. 7 anniversary and a ramp-up of antisemitic activities, asking administrators to put in place additional security measures for Jewish students and organizations.
Similarly, CAIR reported taking in 8,061 bias complaints nationwide last year, half of them between October and December. That’s a 56% increase over the previous year.
CAIR issued a press release this week encouraging mosques and Muslim community organizations to apply for heightened security funding through the DHS.
Tensions rising in the Middle East ahead of the anniversary are also likely to contribute to a threat to the U.S., the DHS and FBI said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
On Tuesday, Israel launched a ground invasion in Lebanon targeting the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Iran responded by launching a massive missile attack on Israel.
Israel is expected to retaliate against Iran for the attack as the anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, approaches.