Wray Warns Of Terror Groups Potentially Launching Attacks In US

While speaking before Congress, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of potential terrorist attacks from Hamas and other terror organizations in the United States.

According to the FBI director, these terror groups could try to exploit the Israel-Hamas war to commit attacks in the U.S. in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel.

“In a year where the terrorism threat was already elevated, 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 explained.

He went on to point to threats against the U.S. made by terrorist groups and terror-supporting countries like Iran.

“Since October 7 we’ve seen a rogue’s gallery of foreign terrorist organizations call for attacks against Americans and our allies,” Wray said. “Hezbollah expressed its support and praise for Hamas and threatened to attack U.S. interests in the Middle East. Al Qaeda issued its most specific call to attack the United States in the past five years. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula called on jihadists to attack Americans and Jewish people everywhere. ISIS urged its followers to target Jewish communities in the United States and Europe.”

“Given those calls for action, our most immediate concern is that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” he warned.

Wray then noted that the threat of an attack doesn’t just come from lone actors, but actual planned terrorist attacks from groups.

“On top of the so-called lone actor threat, we cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas, or another foreign terrorist organization, may exploit the current conflict to conduct attacks here on our own soil,” he said. “We have kept our sights on Hamas and have multiple investigations into individuals affiliated with that foreign terrorist organization. And while historically, our Hamas cases have identified individuals here who are facilitating and financing terrorism overseas, we continue to scrutinize our intelligence to assess how that threat may be evolving.”

Wray then cited threats from Iran, which is ironic considering the Biden administration’s repeated attempts to appease Iran — including recently unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets that critics say will likely be used for future terror attacks. While President Joe Biden ultimately agreed to re-freeze the money after it was confirmed that Iran played a role in planning the October 7 attack on Israel, he is reportedly considering approving a sanctions waiver this week to give Iran $10 billion in funds that are frozen in Iraq. The Biden administration’s obsession with funding Iran calls into question comments from Wray and others claiming that they see the terror-supporting nation as a threat.

“But it’s not just Hamas; as I highlighted for this committee in my testimony last year Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, has directly or by hiring criminals, mounted assassination attempts against dissidents and high-ranking current or former U.S. officials, including right here on American soil,” Wray said.

“Or take Hezbollah: Iran’s primary strategic partner, which has a history of raising money and seeking to obtain weapons here in the United States,” he added. “FBI arrests in recent years also indicate Hezbollah has tried to seed operatives, establish infrastructure, and engage in spying here domestically, raising our concern that they may be contingency planning for future operations in the United States. And while we are not currently tracking a specific plot, given that disturbing history, we are keeping a close eye on what impact recent events may have on those terrorist groups’ intentions here in the United States.”

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