A New Terrorism Advisory System bulletin warning was issued by the Department of Homeland Security. It occurred this past Friday. It was regarding the threat of extremist violence. The alarm is being sound as Corona Virus spreads widely again. It is also the 20th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, with the fear of terror attacks approaching.
Terrorism and Targeted Violence
“It seems that Homeland continues to face a varying and troubling threat environment that has lead up to and follows the 20th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. In addition to the religious holidays, moreover, we assess could, in fact, serve as a vehicle for acts of particular violence,” the bulletin says.
“Thus, these threats could include potentially posed by domestic terrorists, individuals, and groups. All that are involving in grievance-related violence. They are connecting or, in fact, which are motivating by foreign terrorists and other malign foreign influences.”
Ongoing Global Pandemic and Public Health Safety Measures
There are threats that are “made worse by impacts of the continuing global pandemic. They include grievances over public health safety measures and perceived (no very real restrictions, please) government restrictions,” DHS said.
Terrorism: Threat Landscape
In fact, the DHS has to issue the terrorism advisory bulletins regularly to describe the threatening landscape to the homeland. Issued in May, Friday’s advisory does echo some threats from the most current bulletin. However, it includes new information and is in some cases more detailed and thus specific.
House of Worship
Like the one in May, Friday’s advisory does, in fact, warn of the threat of racially or ethnically motivating violent extremists that do sometimes target houses of worship. Thus, there are many Jewish holidays that fall in September, including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“Moreover, these extremists are seeking to exploit the emergence of COVID-19 variants. They are viewing the potential re-establishment of public health restrictions across the United States. It is a rationale to conduct attacks. The pandemic-related stressors have been contributing to increased societal strains and tensions (obviously!), driving many plots by domestic violent extremists. In fact, they can add to more violence this year,” the bulletin says.
