By Steve Neavling
Concerns are mounting among federal law enforcement about potential retaliatory attacks following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security announced Monday in a rare joint intelligence bulletin.
In the bulletin obtained by POLITICO, the agencies noted that violent extremists or others “may attempt follow-on or retaliatory acts of violence” in reaction to the attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennsylvania rally over the weekend.
The four-page bulletin doesn’t mention specific targets, but indicates that extremists have carried out or planned attacks against “perceived political or ideological opponents” in the past.
“The FBI and DHS remain concerned about the potential for follow-on or retaliatory acts of violence following this attack, particularly given that individuals in some online communities have threatened, encouraged, or referenced acts of violence in response to the attempted assassination,” the bulletin said.
The nation is sharply divided as Republicans convene for their nominating convention in Milwaukee and Democrats get ready for theirs in Chicago.
“This attack reinforces our assessment that election-related targets are under a heightened threat of attack or other types of disruptive incidents,” the bulletin said.
On pro-Trump message boards and social media sites, far-right activists called for violence and even civil war in the wake of the assassination attempt, Wired reports. Some called for violence against Democrats and the media.
“Unlike the messaging in the aftermath of the attacks at the Cincinnati FBI field office and on Paul Pelosi, there is a concerted effort to present this as the consequence of left-wing rhetoric around Trump and fascism,” Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, tells WIRED. “A singular clear message is being spread from the top down and the bottom up, from members of Congress to right-wing influencers to neo-Nazi Telegram channels: We need to fight back.”
