FBI Director Christopher Wray’s warning of potential U.S. terrorist threats after Hamas’ attack on Israel drew criticism from Trump supporters recently.
Wray stated during his testimony to the Senate Homeland Security Committee, “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.”
He went on to detail the various terrorist groups that have recently issued explicit calls for attacks against the United States and Western nations.
He said, “In just the past few weeks, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have explicitly called for attacks on Americans and Western countries. Al-Qaeda made its most specific call to attack the United States in the last five years, while ISIS encouraged its followers to target Jewish communities in the United States and Europe.”
He continued, “Hezbollah has publicly expressed its support for Hamas and threatened to attack U.S. interests in the Middle East. And we’ve seen an increase in attacks on U.S. military bases overseas carried out by militia groups backed by Iran.”
He emphasized that the key point is the “possibility” of an impending terrorist attack within the United States. He explained, “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.”
During his testimony, Wray also raised concerns about threats emanating from Iran. He stated, “As the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, the Iranians, for instance, have directly or by hiring criminals, mounted assassination attempts against dissidents and high-ranking current and former U.S. government officials, including right here on American soil.”
'Time to be concerned': FBI Director Wray warns of mounting terror threats to U.S. | Just The News https://t.co/zznouWd5cM
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) October 31, 2023
Trump supporters responded to his testimony by questioning why the FBI had been allocating resources to pursue pro-life activists and other conservatives instead of focusing on counterterrorism efforts.
Wray wrapped up his testimony with a cautionary note about the potential consequences if the FBI were to lose its FISA 702 privileges.
He said, “It would be absolutely devastating if the next time an adversary like Iran or China launches a major cyberattack, we don’t see it coming because 702, one of our most important tools, was allowed to lapse.”
He continued, “Or with everything going on in the world, imagine if a foreign terrorist overseas directs an operative to carry out an attack in our own backyard, but we’re not able to disrupt it because the FBI’s authorities have been so watered down.”
However, some feel the public’s willingness to consider the FISA 702 argument would probably be higher if the FBI hadn’t previously misused its FISA privileges to target and harass law-abiding American citizens, including former President Donald Trump.
