Hamas attack on Israel could inspire other terror groups: FBI director

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — Hamas’ attack in Israel could serve as an inspiration for other terrorist networks, and the terror threat in the U.S. has increased because of it, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Tuesday.

Wray, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and NCTC Director Christine Abizai testified before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Tuesday for the annual “Threats to the Homeland” hearing.

All three in their opening statements talked about the recent attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas Oct. 7 that killed 1,400 people, and led to the kidnapping of over 200 others. Israel declared war, and since then, 8,525 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, while in the occupied West Bank, more than 122 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.

International terrorists, and violent extremists in the United States, could be galvanized by Hamas’ attack, the three federal officials testified Tuesday.

Wray pointed to two examples of violent extremism in the U.S.: a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy from Illinois stabbed to death by his landlord, and a man the FBI arrested who was accused of researching how to build bombs and posting online about his support for killing Jewish people.

Mayorkas said that as the conflict continues, there’s been an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab American communities and institutions. Hate recently directed at the Jewish community adds to a pre-existing increase in antisemitism both around the world and in the United States, Mayorkas said.

A new NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll found many Americans fear that the fighting in the Middle East may lead to terror attacks in the United States.

In his written opening testimony, Wray said the FBI has no information to indicate that Hamas intends, or even has the capability, to conduct operations inside the U.S.

However, “on top of the homegrown violent extremists and domestic violent extremist threat, we also cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas, or another foreign terrorist organization, may exploit the current conflict to conduct attacks here on our own soil,” Wray told lawmakers Tuesday.

Other topics that came up at the hearing included border security. Apprehensions of people at the border who happen to be on the FBI’s terror watch list continue to tick up.

During Fiscal Year 2023, 169 people were flagged, with 98 in 2022 and 15 in 2021.

Migrant encounters on the southwest border in FY 2023 were the most ever recorded by CBP with 2.48 million — up 40% from FY 2021, and up 4% from FY 2022, according to CBP data.

The “Startling Stats” report called FY 2023 migrant encounters on the U.S.-Mexico border “catastrophic,” and says it is “worst on record.”

The report is based on fiscal year-end and monthly migrant statistics that were sent Saturday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“Since President Biden took office, there have been 7.5 million encounters nationwide and 6.2 million encounters at the southwest border, in addition to 1.7 million known gotaways who evaded U.S. Border Patrol,” the Homeland Security GOP report says.

September had 269,735 encounters on the southwest border “marking another unprecedented milestone under Mayorkas and President Joe Biden’s open-border policies,” a statement by Republicans on the committee issued last Thursday said.

“These numbers demonstrate beyond a doubt that Secretary Mayorkas’ refusal to enforce the law and secure our border is jeopardizing our safety and security,” Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, of Tennessee, said.

Both Wray and Mayorkas declined further comment outside of what they said in the hearing when asked by NewsNation.

Border Report and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story is developing. Refresh for updates.