Federal bulletin issued ahead of 9/11 anniversary warns foreign terrorist groups continue to encourage attacks
Federal authorities are warning that foreign terrorist organizations "continue to encourage attacks in the United States and have released 9/11-related propaganda in advance of previous anniversaries of the 9/11 attacks," according to a bulletin reviewed by ABC News.
According to the bulletin, the FBI is concerned that terrorism actors in the U.S. may be inspired to conduct violence or engage in hoax threats in response to the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and those actors have showed willingness to act with little to no warning.
Messaging by foreign terrorist organizations "in combination with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East could heighten existing grievances against the United States and contribute to mobilization to violence," according to the document.
Earlier Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the U.S. is facing "a heightened and increasingly complex terrorism threat environment," adding that the environment has "changed significantly since the attacks of September 11, 2001."
"Before 9/11, the primary concern came from centralized international terrorist organizations. Today, those groups remain a threat, but the landscape is broader and more dispersed," according to a DHS spokesperson. "Individuals and small cells now plot attacks independently, often motivated by a range of ideological and political goals.
Foreign terrorist organizations, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to seek ways to carry out or inspire attacks in the U.S., the spokesperson said.
"At the same time, domestic terrorists continue to plan acts of violence, often driven by anti-government views and a desire to destabilize society," the spokesperson added.
In the past year and a half, the FBI has arrested at least 16 people inside the U.S. homeland for allegedly plotting or supporting plots to kill Americans on behalf of al-Qaeda or ISIS, officials say.
In March, the U.S. intelligence community released a report on the state of worldwide threats and noted that, while ISIS and al-Qaeda may be largely relying on social media to reach America, their numbers are actually growing overseas, with ISIS now boasting up to 18,000 members worldwide and al-Qaeda's ranks reaching up to 28,000 members.
The Department of Homeland Security was born out of the 9/11 attacks with the goal of putting agencies who protect the homeland under one roof.
In addition to the changed threat environment, the DHS spokesperson also warned of terrorists experimenting with artificial intelligence.
"Terrorists are increasingly experimenting with generative AI, not only to create and circulate violent online propaganda, but to explore ways to use explosives and biological agents to conduct attacks," according to the spokesperson.
AI advancements "could make terrorist activity faster, more scalable, and harder to detect," according to the spokesperson.
Law enforcement generally is also concerned about the use of drones.
"While the United States has not experienced a large-scale terrorist attack involving drones, the Department takes seriously the possibility that a drone could be used near critical infrastructure or to disrupt emergency response operations," according to the spokesperson.
In an interview with ABC News' Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas last week, FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia said drones are at the "forefront" of his priorities. "You would be silly to think that that's not coming to the United States at some point, and we are trying to stay ahead of that."
