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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
FBI on alert for threats to the Jewish community ahead of Passover,
director says
By Josh Campbell, CNN
Updated:
1:20 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
Source: CNN
Federal law enforcement is on alert for any potential threats to the US
Jewish community ahead of the start of the , FBI Director Christopher
Wray told a group of nationwide security officials Wednesday.
“We at the bureau remain particularly concerned that lone actors
could target large gatherings, high profile events, or symbolic or
religious locations for violence – particularly a concern, of course,
as we look to the start of Passover on Monday evening,” Wray said.
Speaking at an event hosted by the , a Jewish community nonprofit
safety and training organization, Wray said threats to the US Jewish
community had already been elevated before Hamas’ October 7 terrorist
attack on Israel, but the number of FBI hate crime cases tripled in the
wake of the incident.
“Between October 7 and January 30 of this year, we opened over three
times more anti-Jewish hate crime investigations than in the four
months before October 7,” said Wray, who noted raw statistics about
investigations represent “very real threats to your institutions, to
your houses of worship, to your schools and university organizations,
and to the individuals in your communities simply for being who you
are.”
An Anti-Defamation League audit released Tuesday showed there was a
dramatic upward trend of incidents after the start of the Israel-Hamas
war. Between October 7 and December 31, there were 5,204 incidents,
The Jewish civil rights advocacy group tracked 8,873 antisemitic
incidents in the United States in 2023 – the highest number of
incidents reported since the organization began tracking data in 1979.
Wray said his remarks were not intended to stir alarm, but he noted
“it is a time for continued vigilance” – comments echoed by other
security professionals.
“Unprecedented threats do not need to equate to unnecessary fear or
panic,” said SCN national director and CEO Michael Masters, who added
that the public can “rest assured that those focused on the safety
and security of the community are maintaining a laser-like focus on
this so Jewish life can exist and thrive.”
In addition to homegrown violence and against Jewish facilities, Wray
warned that the FBI was also observing a range of threats from abroad.
“We’ve seen – since October 7 – a rogues’ gallery of foreign
terrorist organizations call for attacks against the United States and
our allies,” said Wray, including calls by global terrorist groups
“to target Jewish communities both in the United States and
Europe.”
In addressing Jewish community security officials, Wray also called out
state-sponsored threats.
“After the last few days, in particular, the threat posed by Iran
itself is very real,” he said.
Wray added that after last week in retaliation for a suspected Israeli
strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria, “we are urging all
of our partners here and around the world to stay vigilant” against
any “potential threats that may emerge from Iran or its proxies both
overseas and even here in the homeland.”
This story has been updated with additional reaction.
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