Homeland Security issued a new terror alert bulletin Wednesday warning of possible attacks by domestic violent extremists spanning the ideological spectrum, but emboldened by the pro-Trump mob’s assault on the Capitol earlier this month.
There is no information on a specific credible plot, the department said, but the confluence of events has left security analysts worried enough to issue the warning.
The bulletin points to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, concerns over the presidential transition, ongoing debates over coronavirus shutdown restrictions and police use-of-force protests over the last year as worrying factors.
“DHS is concerned these same drivers to violence will remain through early 2021 and some DVEs may be emboldened by the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to target elected officials and government facilities,” the department said.
While the department cast a wide net, Democrats saw the new alert as a warning about right-wing political violence.
“The domestic terrorism attack on our Capitol earlier this month shined a light on a threat that has been right in front of our faces for years,” said Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, chair of the House Homeland Security Committee.
He said domestic terrorists were “emboldened over the last four years” — apparently a reference to President Trump’s time in office.
While the attack on the Capitol has captured most attention, Trump supporters have also made threats to politicians out of frustration over the election results.
And Homeland Security also pointed to “threats of violence against critical infrastructure” based on conspiracy theories about the coronavirus.
From the left, meanwhile, mobs over the past few years have attacked federal buildings in cities like Portland, Oregon, with the federal courthouse and the local headquarters for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serving as focal points for anger.
In its new alert, Homeland Security said the grievances it sees behind the violence are “fueled by false narratives.”
The alert lasts through April 30.
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