On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a bulletin warning of a “heightened threat environment” over the next several months, stating they will monitor the risk of domestic terrorism within the U.S. to promote acts of violence.
“The United States remains in a heightened threat environment, as noted in the previous Bulletin, and several recent attacks have highlighted the dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment,” DHS said in the bulletin from the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS).
“In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets,” said DHS.
DHS noted potential targets of such violent acts, including “public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents.”
“Threat actors have recently mobilized to violence due to factors such as personal grievances, reactions to current events, and adherence to violent extremist ideologies, including racially or ethnically motivated or anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism,” DHS continued.
“We continue to assess that the primary threat of mass casualty violence in the United States stems from lone offenders and small groups motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances,” the bulletin said.
DHS pointed to events such as the mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, as part of its reasoning for the updated bulletin. It also referred to a May shooting attack in Laguna Woods, California, that targeted congregants of a church.
The bulletin from the DHS repeated previous concerns that individuals both for and against abortion have advocated for violence against the government, religious, reproductive healthcare personnel, and facilities in response to the high-profile U.S. Supreme Court case.