The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Counterterrorism Center have issued a warning about the potential for "lone actor violence" at protests and holiday-related public gatherings due to Israel's war on Hamas.
The December 12 Public Service Announcement said, "Ongoing tensions related to the conflict between Israel and HAMAS likely heighten the threat of lone actor violence targeting large public gatherings throughout the winter, including holiday-related, faith-based, New Year's Eve, and First Amendment protected events related to the conflict."
"Although this announcement is not in response to any specific plotting activity, these targets likely remain attractive to lone actors inspired by a range of ideologies due to their accessibility and symbolic nature," the announcement continued.
Since October 7, the agencies wrote, various "foreign terrorist media organizations" have called for lone wolf attacks in the United States.
"Lone actors may seek to disrupt or escalate violence at large gatherings, high profile events, or symbolic or religious locations throughout the winter," the announcement said. "Such gatherings could become a convenient target for those inspired to commit violence against Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Arab communities."
The agencies said that there has been an increase in hoax bomb threats targeting synagogues.
The warning said that escalations in the conflict between Israel and Hamas may exacerbate the threat of violence.
"We therefore urge everyone to remain vigilant and to report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement," the announcement said. "FBI and DHS are particularly attuned in this environment to the concerns of the Jewish, Arab American, and Muslim communities and will continue to engage directly with leaders in these communities to ensure that available resources are utilized."
Since the start of the war there have been many acts of violence against Jewish and Palestinian people on American soil.
On October 14, a six-year-old Palestinian boy was stabbed to death 26 times in Illinois by the family's 72-year-old landlord Joseph Czuba.
In California, college professor Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery after an altercation with a pro-Israel protester Paul Kessler, 69, turned deadly on November 5.
Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said that Kessler was in a confrontation with pro-Palestine protesters and fell backwards hitting his head.
On November 25, a Vermont man shot three Palestinian students who were wearing keffiyehs while visiting family in the shooter's apartment building.
Jason Eaton, 48, has been charged with the shooting of Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, all 20 years old.
Police Chief Murad said in a statement, "In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime."
