Amid rising tensions in the Middle East since the outbreak of conflict in Gaza on October 7, and growing international fears of a resurgence of terrorist attacks, particularly in Europe, the United States has renewed its warnings. FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that there is increasing concern over the possibility of an attack similar to the one in Moscow last month, which was claimed by Daesh Khorasan. Wray reiterated in an interview with NBC on Wednesday that the terrorist threat has risen since October 7, noting that there are individuals or small groups that have become radicalized within the U.S. due to the Israeli war on Gaza. He also highlighted growing fears of a coordinated terrorist attack in a public space, a scenario that intelligence officials had dismissed over the past decade.
The deadly attack carried out by gunfire and bomb explosions at the Crocus City Hall, located about 20 kilometers from the Kremlin, late last month (March 2024), led to the deaths of around 150 people and injuries to 285. This attack, claimed by Daesh, prompted several European governments to raise their security alert levels in anticipation of similar attacks on their territories. Western security officials, knowledgeable about Daesh's operations in Iraq and Syria, believe that the group has abandoned its project of rebuilding what it calls the caliphate; however, it still sees executing successful strikes on international targets as "beneficial for it and for the morale of its supporters." Analysts at the Washington Institute, a U.S.-based research center, suggested that Daesh may reorder its priorities for external operations through its branches.
