WASHINGTON: The attack by Hamas on Israel will inspire the most significant terror threat to the US since the rise of IS nearly a decade ago, FBI director Christopher Wray said at a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Wray said that since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian 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 homegrown US violent extremists.
“The actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven’t seen since IS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago,” Wray said. The remarks came during a hearing before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee focused on threats to the US. The US government has seen an increase in threats against Jews, Muslims and Arab Americans since fighting broke out in Gaza, officials have said.
The number of attacks on US military bases overseas by Iran-backed militia groups have risen this month, Wray said. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.