DHS warns of heightened risk for attacks ahead of 9/11′s 20th anniversary
WASHINGTON – With the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks less than a month away, the Department of Homeland Security issued a new threat advisory on Friday.
In a news release, DHS cited the anniversary of the attacks and unrest over government restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
“A diverse and challenging threat environment” could serve as a “catalyst for acts of targeted violence,” the DHS said in a news release.
“These threats include those posed by domestic terrorists, individuals and groups engaged in grievance-based violence, and those inspired or motivated by foreign terrorists and other malign foreign influences,” the DHS said. “These actors are increasingly exploiting online forums to influence and spread violent extremist narratives and promote violent activity. Such threats are also exacerbated by impacts of the ongoing global pandemic, including grievances over public health safety measures and perceived government restrictions.”
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A source told CNN that the bulletin is based on the department’s “assessment of the current threat environment in its similarity to situations to 2020 and 2021 that manifested in acts of violence and destructive behavior by individuals and groups, including the (Jan. 6) breach of the US Capitol,” according to the source.
The bulletin remains in effect through Nov. 11, according to The Hill. It supplements separate advisories issued in January and May, USA Today reported. Those advisories also referenced an enhanced domestic threat and pandemic-related conflicts, the website reported.
The Biden administration issued the first advisory after the Jan. 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol, USA Today reported.
In its latest bulletin, DHS said that extremists “may seek to exploit the emergence of COVID-19 variants by viewing the potential re-establishment of public health restrictions across the United States as a rationale to conduct attacks.”
According to USA Today, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the latest bulletin was a reaffirmation of the “heightened threat landscape we face and how DHS is working with our partners, at every level of government and in the community, to combat domestic terrorism and targeted violence in all its forms.”
A department spokesperson told CNN in a statement that “the Department of Homeland Security regularly shares information regarding the heightened threat environment with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officials to ensure the safety and security of all communities across the country.”
