Senate Homeland Security Committee Grills FBI Director
On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that a terror threat against United States residents had risen since the war in the Middle East involving terror group Hamas and Israel started.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed more than 1,000 people. The attack led to a rise of concerns in the United States that a similar assault might be launched against Americans by domestic terrorists or terror groups in the Middle East.
Since the US declared its unwavering support for Israel, several Middle East-based militia groups have threatened to attack Americans. US military bases in Iraq and Syria have already been attacked by terror groups in Yemen.
Wray Concerned About Terror Groups in the US
Wray told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that his biggest concern was the small groups of extremists in the United States that draw inspiration from terror organizations in the Middle East. He pointed out a Houston-based group that has been learning how to create bombs and has shown its support to Hamas.
Besides potential threats posed by domestic criminal groups, Wray said he doesn’t discount the possibility of Hamas or any other foreign militia organization exploiting the ongoing war to carry out an attack on the US. The FBI director added that his agency would continue gathering intelligence to determine the intentions of Middle East-based terror groups for Americans.
Homeland Security and Justice Departments Note Increased Antisemitic Incidents
Meanwhile, the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice say they have noticed rising incidents of antisemitism across the United States since Israel started bombing Gaza. In a joint statement, the two departments said several Jews in the US had reported receiving threats from unknown people.
A fortnight ago, a synagogue president in Detroit was found dead with multiple stab wounds on her body. Samantha Woll had presided over the synagogue for the last two years. Although authorities told the public not to speculate the motives behind her killing, many were convinced that Woll’s killers came from anti-Israel groups in the US.
