US authorities warn of heightened extremist threat ahead of midterms in November

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US faces a heightened threat of domestic violent extremism ahead of November's critical midterm elections, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday.

The nation was already facing a "heightened threat environment," but DHS said in its most recent National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin that a pending Supreme Court ruling expected to overturn federal abortion protections, extremist threats over changes to US border policies and the elections have worsened the situation.

"In the coming months, we expect the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets," it said.

"Threat actors have recently mobilized to violence due to factors such as personal grievances, reactions to current events, and adherence to violent extremist ideologies, including racially or ethnically motivated or anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism," it added.

It pointed in particular to extremists targeting "faith-based institutions, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents."

The bulk of the warning is dedicated to domestic threats, with minor mentions given to threats from abroad, including al-Qaeda's celebration of a January synagogue attack and a Daesh/ISIS terror group call in April for supporters to carry out attacks on US and European targets.

It also pointed to efforts from Russia, China, and Iran to sow disinformation in the US, accusing them of having amplified "narratives that radicalized individuals have cited to justify violence, including conspiracy theories and false or misleading narratives promoting U.S. societal division."

Still, the department maintained that recent attacks from domestic "lone offenders" against minority groups "have demonstrated the dynamic and complex nature of the threat environment facing the United States."

It pointed in particular to last month's devastating school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults, and a racially-motivated mass shooting in May that targeted Black Americans in New York state. That month also saw a shooting that targeted Taiwanese congregants in a state of California church.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas pointed to the violence, saying officials believe the threats will become "more dynamic" in the future.

"The Department of Homeland Security remains steadfast in our commitment to provide timely information and resources to the American public and our partners across every level of government, in law enforcement, and in the private sector," he said in a statement.

The DHS memo is in effect through the end of November.