'Hamas could exploit conflict to attack US,' says FBI chief as threats against Jews, Muslims rise in America

The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray says that the US threat against Jews and Muslims has been on the rise since the terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October. FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “The threat is very much ongoing and in fact, the threat picture continues to evolve.” “Here in the US, we cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas or other foreign terrorist organizations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil,” Wray added. He said that Jews and Muslims, along with their institutions of worship, are under threat in the US and that the investigative body is “moving quickly to mitigate” the threats. Meanwhile, the FBI said that it has not found any evidence that Hamas is trying to plan attacks against the US, but Wray said it is possible. FBI officials said that they are reaching out to religious leaders to discuss the potential threats against their communities. Apart from this, the bureau has asked law enforcement officials to take extra measures to protect Jews and Muslim bodies across the country. “We’ve got to be on the lookout … for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own,” Wray said. While the US has been witnessing a rise in the number of antisemitic cases in recent months, the Hamas attacks of October 7 against Israel have intensified the threat.