On Thursday afternoon, AlertsUSA subscribers were informed of new warnings issued by the Dept. of Homeland Security that the threat of foreign and domestic terrorism remains high, and will continue into 2024.
Within the 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment, DHS opens with a description of the changing threat picture:
"The terrorism landscape in the United States has evolved since 9/11—from foreign terrorists directing attacks in the Homeland to a more amorphous threat environment where individuals or small cells independently plot attacks to advance a range of ideologies and political objectives."
This has been seen over the past year, with extremists in the U.S. engaging in violence in reaction to sociopolitical events. DHS expects these actors will "continue to be inspired and motivated by a mix of conspiracy theories; personalized grievances; and enduring racial, ethnic, religious, and anti-government ideologies.."
DHS also cautions that it expects next year’s election to be “a key event for possible violence and foreign influence targeting our election infrastructure, processes, and personnel.”
The assessment also states that
foreign terrorist groups like al-Qa‘ida and ISIS "are seeking to rebuild overseas, and they maintain worldwide networks of supporters that could seek to target the Homeland."
DHS further assesses that domestic and foreign adversaries will likely continue to target our critical infrastructure over the next year, in part "because they perceive targeting these sectors would be detrimental to US industries and the American way of life."
Among state actors, DHS expects Iran to remain the primary sponsor of terrorism and will continue its efforts to advance plots:
"Iran maintains its intent to plot attacks against current and former US government officials in retaliation for the 2020 death of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps IRGC Quds Force (IRGCQF) Commander and designated foreign terrorist Qassem Soleimani. Iran relies on individuals with pre-existing access to the United States for surveillance and lethal plotting—using dual nationals, members of criminal networks, and private investigators—and has attempted plots that do not require international travel for operatives."
On border and immigration security, the assessment is worrisome:
"Individuals with potential terrorism connections continue to attempt to enter the Homeland. As of July, approximately 160 non-US persons in the Terrorist Screening Data Set, also known as the “watchlist,” attempted to enter the United States via the southern border this year, most of whom were encountered attempting to illegally enter between ports of entry. This represents an increase from the approximately 100 encounters in all of FY 2022."
Al Qaeda Issues New Threat
This week the U.S. held remembrance ceremonies for the attacks of September 11th, 2001. So did Al Qaeda Central, with the release of the 11th issue of their One Ummah online magazine which was devoted to the events of that day.
In a translation published by the Middle East Media Research Institute, Al Qaeda issues a particularly pointed threat:
We warned and cautioned you many times before the events of Somalia, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, and before the destruction of the destroyer [USS] Cole, but you paid no heed to our warnings until Al-Qaeda's axe reached the head of the Pentagon and the Twin Towers. We told you many times, 'Do not infringe on our Islamic ummah's security or interfere in our affairs.' But you fail every time and only wake up when we plant the axe in your head. So until when will this dominant crusader stupidity continue? And for how long will you continue to harvest bloodshed?
"Be assured that our Islamic ummah's knights – by Allah's power and might – will make you forget the horrors of September, the day when they stormed your fortresses and strongholds shielded by seas in broad daylight. You should be completely assured that today you are in greater danger than on the day of September 11.
AlertsUSA continues to monitor the domestic and international threat environment around the clock and will immediately notify service subscribers, via SMS messages and email, of new alerts, warnings and advisories, or any developments which signal a change the overall threat picture for American citizens. |
