ATLANTA — FBI Director Christopher Wray warned on Tuesday that Hamas' rampage inside Israel could inspire violence in the U.S., telling lawmakers that multiple foreign extremist groups have called for attacks against Americans and the West in recent weeks.
"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," Wray said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
In his testimony before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Wray gave his most detailed and ominous assessment of potential threats to the U.S. since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israeli soldiers and civilians.
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His reference to the Islamic State, a reminder of when the FBI scrambled to disrupt hastily developed plots of violence by people inspired by the group's ascendancy, underscores the bureau's concerns that the current Middle East conflict could create a similarly dangerous dynamic.
Though the FBI isn't currently tracking an "organized threat" inside the United States, law enforcement is concerned about the potential of attacks by individuals or small groups, as occurred during the rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq a decade ago.
The bureau has already seen an increase in attacks on overseas military bases and expects cyberattacks targeting American infrastructure to get worse as the conflict expands, he said.
There is no confirmation from metro Atlanta law enforcement agencies that they are aware of any specific threats.
But police are on alert.
Georgia law enforcement intelligence agents and analysts are constantly reviewing and assessing potential threats across the state, as the FBI warns that multiple extremist groups are now calling for attacks against Americans worldwide.
“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 said. “That includes not just homegrown violent extremists inspired by a foreign terrorist organization, but also domestic violent extremists targeting Jewish or Muslim communities."
One of the concerns is whether incidents such as hate speech and vandalism in metro Atlanta and across the country since October 7 could escalate into violence.
FBI Atlanta and the GBI are working with local law enforcement agencies, evaluating every report and tip.
DeKalb County Police, for example, are “participating in intelligence briefings provided by our state and federal partners. While we have not received any viable threats, we have increased patrols in specific areas and will continue to remain vigilant.”
Specific areas include, still, places of worship as potential soft targets.
"This is not a time for panic,” Wray said, “but it is a time for vigilance. We shouldn't stop conducting our daily lives going to schools, houses of worship, and so forth, but we should be vigilant.”