In the wake of two violent attacks on Jewish community events in recent weeks, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have issued a public service announcement warning of an “elevated threat” to Jews and Israeli communities.
In their announcement issued Thursday night, the FBI and DHS cited the two recent attacks — the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last month and the firebombing attack last week on a march for Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, that left 15 injured.
“The ongoing Israel-HAMAS conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters,” the FBI and DHS wrote. (The agencies capitalize Hamas’ name in all communications.)
“Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States,” the announcement continued.
Jewish institutions are groups are working to shore up security in the wake of the incidents while seeking not to discourage participation in Jewish life and pro-Israel events.
The PSA urged the public to “remain vigilant” and report any threats of violence to law enforcement.
Both the suspect in the Boulder attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, and the suspect in the D.C. shooting, Elias Rodriguez, appeared to be motivated by the ongoing conflict in Israel. As Rodriguez was arrested, he shouted “free Palestine,” and Soliman reportedly made the same chant during his attack on demonstrators.
The latest warning comes as the Trump administration is citing the attack and antisemitism more broadly to justify a wide array of government actions, including an immigration crackdown, a travel ban and funding cuts to universities.
But the warning is very much in line with others that the departments have released in the past, including during the Biden administration.
Three days after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the FBI and DHS issued an alert regarding the “ongoing issue of potential public safety concern consequent to the Hamas attacks in Israel.”
“Some violent extremists have used times of heightened tensions to incite violence against religious minorities, targeting both Jewish and Muslim Americans,” the warning read.
Later that month, the FBI and DHS warned that the escalating war would likely “heighten the threat of lone actor violence targeting large public gatherings.” Another warning followed in December 2023.
And ahead of the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, another PSA warned that the anniversary may be a “motivating factor for violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators.”
The PSA was released by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, which is a division of the FBI. IC3 routinely releases PSA’s multiple times a month, with the majority targeting internet-related crimes including fraud, hacking, and scams. In January, the FBI and DHS released a PSA warning the public of potential copycat attacks following the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, Louisiana in which a man drove his truck through a crowded street, injuring dozens of people.
