ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – Minnesotans are being asked to pay attention their surroundings and report any suspicious activity as the battle rages on in Israel.
“It’s been awhile since we’re really had that heightened state of alert for potential terrorism activity in the United States,” says Drew Evans, Superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. “And this situation creates those opportunities for those lone wolf actors, that may be planning to commit an attack in our country.”
The FBI has also issued a warning that threats in the U.S. have increased after the Hamas attack on Israel.
FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered the warning this past Saturday during a speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference in San Diego.
“While we have no specific identifiable or credible threat to Minnesota at this time, we want to be on alert so if there’s any suspicious activity that people report that to their local law enforcement,” says Evans. “Or they can report it dually to us as well, so that we work with our federal partners so we can identify any patterns, suspicious activity, to ensure the safety of those in Minnesota.”
Evans says the public plays a critical role in helping to prevent attacks from taking place.
“Individuals that appear to be taking an unusual interest in a particular event. It might be that they’re photographing a building for example, that seems out of place. It might be individuals that are asking questions about an event or the security at a particular place that doesn’t seem right.”
Places of worship are of particular interest according to Evans, echoing similar statements from the FBI.
“At the end of the day, we tell people, like if it doesn’t feel right to you, report it. Because we’ll take a look at it and it might be part of a larger pattern, something that we’re tracking. And if it’s nothing, it won’t be looked into any further. But we want to make sure, at times like these, that we’re really keeping track of everything that is going on.”
He says they actually have an app called “See It Say It Send It” to directly send information that you think may be useful.
Speaking on Saturday, Director Wray of the FBI said that Jews and Muslims alike, as well as their institutions and houses of worship, have been threatened in the U.S., and that the bureau is “moving quickly to mitigate” the threats.
“History has been witness to anti-Semitic and other forms of violent extremism for far too long. Whether that be from foreign terrorist organizations, or those inspired by them, or domestic violent extremists motivated by their own racial animus, the targeting of a community because of their faith is completely unacceptable,” Wray continued. “We remain committed to continue confronting those threats — both here in the United States and overseas.”
He also urged police chiefs to “stay vigilant” for any copycat acts of violence.
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