‘Lone wolf actors remain the greatest potential threat including during the upcoming July 4th holiday,’ Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has confirmed that federal officials informed her about a possible terrorist threat ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.
“Our federal partners reiterated yesterday that lone wolf actors remain the greatest potential threat including during the upcoming July 4th holiday,” Hochul said in a July 2 statement, without providing the names of the federal agencies or any specific details about potential plots.
The governor said state law enforcement officials are “in an increased alert posture following the recent conflict in the Middle East” and that under her direction, “State Police will have an increased presence at large events throughout the state” during the holiday.
“And we will be closely coordinating with local and federal law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of all involved,” she said.
“National Guard personnel also remain deployed at major transportation hubs, as well as at key bridges and tunnels within New York City.
“We are also actively monitoring social media activity and continue to be on high alert for any cyberthreats.”
While Hochul did not elaborate, ABC News and other outlets, citing an internal bulletin released by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), reported that those agencies believe there is an elevated threat in New York and California during Independence Day.
The Epoch Times contacted both DHS and the FBI for comment on Thursday but did not receive a response by publication time.
Earlier this week, the FBI and other agencies sent a warning that Iranian regime-linked groups could launch cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure, although they did not issue any public warnings about terrorist attacks linked to Iran.
“Defense Industrial Base companies, particularly those possessing holdings or relationships with Israeli research and defense firms, are at increased risk,” the agencies stated in the warning, issued by the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
