FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday told members of Congress that the Hamas–Israel war could spark attacks on targets within the United States, saying the Palestinian terrorist group could inspire ISIS-like threats.
Mr. Wray said that since the start of the Israel–Hamas conflict in Gaza earlier this month, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West, significantly raising the threat posed by what he described as homegrown extremists.
“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 several years ago,” Mr. Wray said, referring to the terrorist organization also known as ISIL that captured swathes of Iraq and Syria in the 2010s before the U.S. deployed troops in the region to combat the group.
The number of attacks on U.S. military bases overseas by Iran-backed militia groups has risen this month, the FBI chief noted. Cyber attacks against the United States by Iran and non-state actors will likely worsen if the conflict expands, he said.
But Mr. Wray told members of the Senate that currently, there is no information to indicate that Hamas “has the intent or capability to conduct operations inside the U.S., though we cannot, and do not, discount that possibility.”
He reiterated previous claims that the most significant terrorism threat domestically is “posed by lone actors or small cells of individuals who typically radicalize violence online and who primarily use easily accessible weapons to attack soft targets.”
“This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance,” Mr. Wray said, addressing public fears about possible terrorist attacks. “You often hear the expression if you see something, say something … that’s never been more true than now,” he added, referring to a slogan that has often been deployed at U.S. transportation hubs in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“And that’s probably partly why the American people are reporting more tips and leads to us, and we’re pursuing those threats and leads as vigorously and responsibly as we can,” he stated.
The director also said that the bureau believes there has been a rise in anti-Jewish incidents across the United States, while the White House expressed alarm this week at reports of anti-Jewish incidents at American universities as tensions have prompted university officials to tighten security.
