FBI says it is concerned about attack in the US after massacre in Russia

The FBI is concerned about the possibility of an attack in the United States similar to the one that killed dozens of people at a Russian concert hall last month. The director of the American federal police plans to detail this concern to a panel of the House of Representatives this Thursday (11).

“Looking back on my career in law enforcement, I would be hard pressed to think of a time when so many threats to our public and national security were so heightened all at once,” Christopher Wray is expected to tell lawmakers during a hearing. budget. “But that’s the case as I sit here today.”

The March 22 attack on a concert hall in suburban Moscow killed at least 144 people, the deadliest in Russia in 20 years. A branch of the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility, but Russian President Vladimir Putin, without citing evidence, sought to blame Ukraine.

US officials are concerned about the possibility of an attack carried out by an individual or small group inspired by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. But the FBI is increasingly concerned about a more coordinated attack after the massacre in Russia, Wray will say during testimony.

It is a “growing concern” about the potential for a coordinated attack here, similar to the ISIS-K attack we saw in Russia a few weeks ago,” he will say.

Wray also plans to push lawmakers to renew a U.S. surveillance program set to expire this month, calling it an indispensable tool against U.S. adversaries. A modest review of that program was blocked in the House on Wednesday amid concerns from members of both parties that it did not go far enough to restrict the government's surveillance powers.

“It is critical to protecting our nation, and we are at a critical moment,” Wray plans to tell lawmakers.