Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers that the threat level of a potential terrorist attack on U.S. soil has increased “enormously” since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Mr. Garland sounded the alarm on June 4 while testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing dedicated to investigating claims the Biden administration has politicized and weaponized the Department of Justice under his leadership.
Responding to Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) asking if there was a raised terror threat stemming from the millions of immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally, Mr. Garland admitted that he’s “worried” about the possibility of a terrorist attack daily.
“I am worried about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the country after Oct. 7,” he told the committee. “The threat level for us has gone up enormously. Every morning, we worry about this question. We try to track anyone who might be trying to hurt the country.”
He also indicated that preventing such an attack is “a major priority for the Justice Department.”
Although Tuesday’s remark addressing threats of violence in the wake of Oct. 7 was Mr. Garland’s strongest yet, he previously warned of a rise in threats tied to the Israel-Hamas war.
“The entire Justice Department remains vigilant in our efforts to identify and respond to hate crimes, threats of violence, or related incidents, with particular attention to threats to faith communities,” he said at a news conference in October.
Threat of Jihadist Attack on ‘Whole ‘Nother Level’
Mr. Garland is not the only top law enforcement official who has sounded the alarm on the possibility of a potential terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a similar warning on June 4, telling the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that the threat from foreign terrorists has risen to “a whole ‘nother level” after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
“I touched on this earlier, but there was already a heightened risk of violence in the United States before October 7. Since then, we’ve seen a rogue’s gallery of foreign terrorist organizations call for attacks against Americans and our allies,” Mr. Wray said, according to a statement released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“Given those calls for action, our most immediate concern has been that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home,” he added.
Mr. Wray issued the warning as he made his case on the FBI’s budget request totaling $11.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2025, saying the requested resources are crucial for the law enforcement agency to continue “national security, intelligence, criminal law enforcement, and criminal justice services missions.”
“As described in this threat summary, our adversaries are not scaling back their efforts because of the constrained budget environment. In fact, threat actors may try to take advantage of federal budget reductions to conduct nefarious activities,” Mr. Wray said in a statement on June 4.
“The FBI cannot afford to be playing catch-up to the People’s Republic of China, Hamas, transnational organized criminals coming across the border, and cyber actors,” he continued. “With the requested resources, the FBI will have the talent, tools, and authorities to do more to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution.”
Hamas Galvanizing Terror Groups Worldwide
Mr. Wray also noted that the FBI has no information to indicate whether Hamas has either the intent or capability to conduct a terrorist attack inside the United States but pointed out that the agency cannot discount that possibility because of the likelihood of “Hamas supporters engaging in violence on the group’s behalf.”
“We are concerned with any FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organization) that may exploit the attacks in Israel as a tool to mobilize their followers around the world. In recent years, there have been several events and incidents in the United States that were purportedly motivated, at least in part, by the conflict between Israel and Hamas,” he said.
The FBI director also told members of the subcommittee that there had been an increasing concern of a potential foreign threat in the United States similar to the recent ISIS-K—or Islamic State Khorasan—attack at a concert hall in the outskirts of Moscow, Russia.
The terrorist attack at the sprawling shopping and entertainment venue in March left 143 people dead, according to officials. It was the deadliest terrorist attack on Russian soil in nearly two decades.
Mr. Wray has made multiple comments about the potential for a terrorist attack on U.S. soil in the past months, namely after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel killed more than 1,400 civilians and led to more than 250 people being taken hostage.
The two top law enforcement officials have issued the warnings as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported apprehending record numbers of immigrants whose names appeared on the FBI’s terror watchlist and tried to cross the U.S. border illegally.