Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP / Getty Images
FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a stark warning to lawmakers while testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday (October 31).
Wray warned that as the war between Hamas and Israel rages on, terror groups could use the conflict as an inspiration to commit acts of terrorism against the United States.
"The reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023, but the ongoing war in the Middle East has raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States to a whole other level," Wray said.
"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 added. "In just the past few weeks, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West."
Wray said that the FBI is concerned about the potential for attacks targeting Jewish or Muslim communities.
"Here in the United States, our most immediate concern is that violent extremists — individuals or small groups — will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives," he told senators. "That includes not just homegrown violent extremists inspired by a foreign terrorist organization, but also domestic violent extremists targeting Jewish or Muslim communities."
Wray said that Americans should not let the threats deter them from going about their everyday lives. Instead, they should remain vigilant and contact authorities about anything suspicious.
"This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance," Wray said. "We shouldn't stop conducting our daily lives – going to schools, houses of worship, and so forth – but we should be vigilant."