WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has expressed his concern about the possibility of an organized attack in the U.S. after dozens were people killed at a Russian concert hall last month.
“As I look back over my career in law enforcement, I would be hard-pressed to think of a time where so many threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once,” Wray told lawmakers at a House of Representatives budget hearing.
A branch of the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the March 22 attack that killed at least 144 people, the deadliest in Russia in 20 years.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine without providing any evidence.
U.S. officials have expressed concerns about the possibility of a similar attack being carried out by an individual or small group inspired by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
In his testimony before a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Wray said that following the concert massacre in Russia, the FBI is growing concerned about a more coordinated attack in the U.S.
He added that at the end of the 2023 fiscal year, the FBI had 4,000 international terrorism investigations open.
“The potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, akin to the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia Concert Hall just a couple weeks ago,” is of particular concern, Wray told lawmakers in a shorter version of his written testimony.
Wray cited FBI concerns about terrorism to help persuade lawmakers to boost the agency’s funding, but congressional Republicans are likely to oppose this.
Calling on Congress to cut the agency’s funding, former Republican President Donald Trump has referred to the Justice Department and the FBI as “vicious monsters.”
The rising political rhetoric against the FBI has led to more threats against the agency and its employees. Earlier this month, a South Carolina man was arrested after he tried to ram his car into the FBI’s Atlanta office.
