Topline
The U.S. is in a “heightened threat environment” as domestic violent extremists and foreign terrorist organizations rally to gain supporters and initiate attacks, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a notice Wednesday afternoon, adding that “perceptions of the 2024 general election cycle” and sociopolitical issues may inspire people to commit violence in the coming months.
A member of the National Guard patrols the grounds of the US Capitol on March 4, 2021, in … [+]
Key Facts
DHS specifically named “faith-based institutions, individuals or events associated with the LGBTQIA+ community, schools, racial and ethnic minorities and government facilities and personnel, including law enforcement” as potential targets of violence.
DHS officials said the recent charging and sentencing of people involved with the January 6 riot “may be serving to dissuade similar violence in the future” by leading potential attackers to fear prosecution, NBC News reported.
Wednesday’s National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin will remain in place until November 24.
Surprising Fact
Wednesday’s bulletin was issued the same day a warning expired related to concerns of violence surrounding the two-year anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Key Background
DHS has classified the country as being in “a heightened threat environment” for more than two years, releasing eight national terrorism bulletins that have kept the country in a continuous heightened alert state since January 27, 2021. Prior to that, the country hadn’t been under one since January 18, 2020, when DHS warned of “Iran’s potential to carry out cyber attacks.” Wednesday’s bulletin cited a number of recent events as reason for concern that more violence may take place ahead of the presidential election in 2024, including the May shooting in Allen, Texas, that was carried out by someone who “held views consistent with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism”; the March shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, in which six people were killed; and ongoing domestic extremist threats in Georgia over opposition to a planned public safety training facility in Atlanta. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement about the bulletin that these threats are “driven by violent extremists who seek to further their ideological beliefs and personal grievances.”
Tangent
The new heightened threat warning comes exactly one year after 21 people—19 students and two teachers—were killed in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. DHS has warned online domestic extremists have “praised the May 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school … and encouraged copycat attacks.”
Further Reading
National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin – May 24, 2023 (Department of Homeland Security)
DHS warns of attacks against government buildings, minority groups ahead of 2024 election (NBC News)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/05/24/dhs-warns-of-potential-attacks-on-government-buildings-minority-groups-and-more-ahead-of-2024-election/