FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Thursday that there is a possibility that a coordinated attack could take place in the United States, similar to the ISIS-K attack on a Russian concert hall last month. He said there are growing concerns about this.
Secretary Wray, who spoke before lawmakers to discuss the fiscal year 25 budget, said the agency needs additional funding to protect Americans from terrorism and Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2024. He added that the risk of violence has increased in the United States since the United States invaded Israel. .
“Since then, we have seen rogue groups of foreign terrorist organizations calling for attacks against Americans and our allies,” Wray said. “Given the calls for action, our greatest concern is that individuals or small groups may take perverse inspiration from events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home. But what is now of increasing concern is the possibility of a coordinated attack.The events here in our homeland are similar to the attack by ISIS-K we saw at a concert hall in Russia a few weeks ago. ing.”
On March 22, terrorists attacked the Crocus City Concert Hall in Moscow, killing 137 people and injuring more than 180. Russian media identified the armed group carrying out the attack as ethnic Tajikistan. The terrorists entered the venue armed with automatic weapons and fired indiscriminately into the 6,200-seat venue.
On March 22nd, a massive fire broke out over Crocus City Hall on the western edge of Moscow, Russia. Several gunmen burst into a large concert hall and fired automatic weapons into the crowd, killing hundreds of people. People were killed or injured. (Sergei Vedyashkin/Moscow News Agency, via AP)
The Islamic State group in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K, claimed responsibility for the brutal attack.
“I was pushed hard”
As he sat before them, Wray told members of a congressional subcommittee that it would be “painful” to think of a time when so many threats to public safety and national security were heightened at once. He added that it was the same.
“Now is definitely not the time to relax or get back on track,” he said. “Now is a time when we need your help the most. We need every tool, every manpower, every resource we need to confront these threats and keep the American people safe.”
FBI director warns public and national security will be ‘increased’.ask for an increase in funds
FBI Director Christopher Wray (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
One such tool is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which some Republicans argue does not go far enough to protect Americans’ data. In fact, House Speaker Mike Johnson sponsored a bill to update the controversial tool when it expires on April 19, but more than a dozen House Republican privacy hawks blocked the effort.
Wray told the committee that reauthorizing Section 702 is the most essential tool Congress can give the FBI to combat foreign enemies.
“At the critical moment”
“It’s critical to protecting our national security, and with the 702 authority set to expire next week, we’re at risk,” Wray said. “So let me be clear: not reauthorizing 702 or watering it down with new types of warrant requirements is dangerous and will put American lives at risk. ”
Nation braces for battle over updates to controversial FISA surveillance tools
ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for last month’s terrorist attack in Russia. (Israel Defense Forces)
According to the FBI director, Section 702 is critical to identifying terrorists in the United States who are collaborating with foreign terrorist organizations that openly call for attacks on the country.
The tool will help the FBI identify who terrorists are collaborating with and allow the FBI to stop terrorists before they kill Americans, Wray said.
He also said Section 702 is critical because China and Iran are known to target Americans for kidnapping and assassination.
important tools
This tool allows the FBI to prevent cyber threats as well as threats to power, water, and medical facilities.
Wray said that if Congress allows Section 702 to expire next week, it would “significantly increase the risk of missing out on critical information at a time when national security threats are heightened on all fronts.” Ta.
FBI director says Chinese hackers are ‘ready to attack’ as intrusion reaches ‘climax’
An FBI agent wears a jacket and brandishes the bureau’s insignia. (St. Petersburg)
“Now is not the time to take off the gloves or take away the tools we need to fight back. And not reauthorizing the 702 or eviscerating it by requiring some type of warrant is dangerous and the American You will be putting your life at risk,” he said. He said. “If FISA were to lapse, I think it would add new challenges to our ability to protect us from foreign threats, including border-related threats.”
“This is not a time to panic. This is a time to increase vigilance,” Ray added.
Among the Republicans who blocked the bill were House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.), Rep. Nancy Mace, R.S.C., and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo. Congressman Clay Higgins, Republican, Louisiana. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. Representative Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) and others.
difficult place
The dispute has put Mr. Johnson in a difficult position between the House Judiciary Committee and its allies, the U.S. intelligence community and national security hawks in Congress. While the former positions Section 702 as a tool of exploitation and invasion of privacy, the latter argues that Section 702 is a narrowly focused tool important for preventing terrorist attacks.
Section 702 allows the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals suspected of having ties to terrorism, even if the person communicating with them is a U.S. citizen.
The House Judiciary Committee supported an amendment that would require U.S. officials to request a warrant before interrogating an American’s communications, but national security-minded Republicans largely opposed it.
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One Republican lawmaker likened the amendment’s effect to forcing police officers to request a warrant before checking a license plate in a database.
They explained that if a terrorist suspect overseas is communicating with a U.S. national at home, a Section 702 search would already detect specific communications with that U.S. national.
Critics warn that the proposed amendments would require authorities to request a warrant before reviewing communications, potentially wasting valuable time in the event of a serious threat. .
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Chris Massaro contributed to this report.
