(NewsNation) — The one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians and the ensuing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza may be “a motivating factor for violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators to engage in violence,” the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned Friday.
The statement said that Jewish, Muslim or Arab venues such as synagogues and mosques “present attractive targets for violent attacks or for hoax threats by a variety of threat actors.”
The agencies also say the threat is not only from organized foreign terrorist groups, but from individuals. They say that online messaging highlighting the Oct. 7 anniversary could inspire people to act alone, attacking with little or no warning.
In a separate notice, the FBI said that “it is essential to be watchful for threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions and to immediately contact law enforcement to report any suspicious activity.”
DHS also issued its annual threat assessment earlier this week, listing conflict in the Middle East and the upcoming election as contributing factors to a high threat level going into 2025.
“We are, of course, aware that that anniversary may add even more fuel to an already challenging and heightened threat environment,” a DHS official said on a call with reporters, referring to Oct. 7.
“All of these factors contribute to a heightened threat environment, because at times, they are motivating factors that drive particular violent extremist groups to accelerate or plan to take action on a timeline that may not have been anticipated,” the official added.
The annual assessment was otherwise in line with other long-term trends seen in the U.S.