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Christopher A. Wray, the F.B.I. director, mentioned on Wednesday that the bureau had opened a slew of investigations into Hamas because it tries to thwart potential assaults and stymie monetary assist for the militant group.
“We even have numerous suggestions and leads associated particularly to Hamas and radicalization and recruitment,” Mr. Wray mentioned in testimony earlier than the Home Committee on Homeland Safety about worldwide threats to the US. “We’re urgently working down each tip and lead.”
He added, “We can not — and don’t — low cost the likelihood that Hamas or one other international terrorist group could exploit the present battle to conduct assaults right here, on our personal soil.”
Mr. Wray’s feedback mirrored rising concern amongst senior F.B.I. officers that Hamas’s brazen assault on Israel final month that left about 1,200 lifeless might encourage related assaults, together with in the US, in addition to present the terrorist group with extra monetary backing.
Up to now, Hamas has not been a high precedence for American intelligence businesses and federal legislation enforcement. Certainly, the White Home’s 2022 nationwide safety technique refers back to the Islamic State and Al Qaeda however makes no point out of Hamas, a sign that the US has usually not thought of the group a direct menace.
Because the Hamas assault, Mr. Wray mentioned, “we’ve seen a rogue’s gallery of international terrorist organizations name for assaults towards People and our allies,” naming Hezbollah, the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
He added, “We’ve saved our sights on Hamas and have a number of investigations into people affiliated with that international terrorist group.”
Amongst these killed on Oct. 7 have been about three dozen Americans, with one other 10 unaccounted for. It’s unclear what number of People have been amongst people who Hamas and different Palestinian teams kidnapped that day and ferried again to Gaza. The Israeli authorities remains to be attempting to establish human stays. Up to now, 859 Israeli civilians slain within the assault have been recognized.
Mr. Wray additionally pointed to the menace from Hamas in urging lawmakers to reauthorize a key surveillance device, generally known as Part 702, which is ready to run out by the tip of this 12 months. The entire intelligence on the group that’s gathered from digital surveillance, versus human informants, was assembled utilizing that individual part of the legislation, he mentioned.
It could be “a wildly irresponsible danger” if Congress didn’t reauthorize it, he added.
Mr. Wray reiterated considerations he had raised throughout a listening to final month with senators on the Homeland Safety and Governmental Affairs committee, by which he famous the escalating threats towards Jews and Muslims in the US.
Of explicit concern are assaults from violent extremists or lone actors in the US fueled by calls to violence, Mr. Wray mentioned on Wednesday, pointing to “homegrown violent extremists impressed by a international terrorist group, and home violent extremists concentrating on Jewish People or different religion communities, like Muslim People.”
Mr. Wray added that the “greatest chunk of the threats which have been reported, by a very good margin,” had been to the Jewish neighborhood, together with synagogues and Jewish leaders.
Final month, Mr. Wray, citing statistics from 2022, famous that regardless of representing lower than 3 p.c of the American inhabitants, Jews have been the goal of about 60 p.c of the religious-based hate crimes.
Though Mr. Wray had a largely pleasant reception on Wednesday, Clay Higgins, a Republican congressman from Louisiana, took purpose on the director and peddled a conspiratorial declare that has circulated in right-wing circles concerning the F.B.I.’s function on Jan. 6.
In a heated alternate, Mr. Wray mentioned neither F.B.I. brokers nor informants had orchestrated the violence on Jan. 6 on the Capitol. “The reply is, emphatically not,” Mr. Wray mentioned, his mood rising.
Mr. Higgins was not glad.
“Your day is coming, Mr. Wray,” he mentioned.
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