Concern about a possible concerted terrorist assault on the United States has grown under FBI Director Christopher Wray’s watch, and he has pointed to the continuing Israel-Hamas conflict as the reason. After Hamas’s murderous strike on Israel on October 7, the world is facing a greater terror danger.
Even if the danger of terrorism to the United States was high before the October 7 assault on Israel by Hamas, he said that the war has taken it to a whole other level.
Wray expressed concern that the assault may resemble the recent slaughter at a Russian music venue by ISIS-K. He admitted that lone actors or small radicalized groups inside the United States may be persuaded to commit a public terror strike.
In March, terrorists opened fire on a gathering of 6,000 people at Crocus City Arena, a performance arena, and the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the incident. The four individuals were taken into custody in the hours after the incident and seemed to have been physically assaulted before their appearance in a Russian court. Videos of severe questioning sessions conducted by Russian security personnel went viral, with some claiming that the detainees were subjected to electric shocks.
By the conclusion of the fiscal year 2023, the FBI had four thousand ongoing investigations into international terrorism. Wray has been lobbying Congress for more money for his organization and has voiced worries about the increased terror danger. There was a $500 million shortfall in the FBI’s budget for fiscal 2024 compared to what was required to keep the bureau running.
Ex-president Trump has long accused the FBI of not having their priorities in order. Instead of focusing on terrorists and criminals, Trump says Wray and the FBI have unjustly targeted him in their investigations, and in turn, making them targets of his ire.
Trump has referred to the FBI and the Justice Department as vicious monsters and urged lawmakers to cut funding for the agency.
