Terrorists are using "mafia-like tactics" to plan "coordinated attacks" on the US, the FBI has chillingly warned.
FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed in a speech on Tuesday that foreign adversaries and terrorist affiliate groups such as ISIS-K are operating in an "increasingly concerning way." The agency is working to prevent a coordinated attack from terrorist groups following the Russia Concert Hall attack that killed at least 144 people and injured hundreds more, the FBI said.
"Foreign terrorists, including ISIS, al-Qaida, and their adherents, have renewed calls for attacks against Jewish communities here in the United States and across the West in statements and propaganda," Mr Wray said.
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ISIS are planning attacks on the US, according to the FBI (AFP/Getty Images)"The foreign terrorist threat and the potential for a coordinated attack here in the homeland, like the ISIS-K attack we saw at the Russia Concert Hall a couple of weeks ago, is now increasingly concerning. Oct. 7 and the conflict that's followed will feed a pipeline of radicalisation and mobilisation for years to come."
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The stark warning comes just weeks after experts said they predict ISIS will try to attack the US. Former top general Frank McKenzie has admitted the "threat is growing" from the Islamic terror group after ISIS-K took responsibility for a deadly attack in Russia.
Gunmen opened fire at Moscow's Crocus City Hall, which is one of the biggest shopping and entertainment complexes in Russia, last month and a huge blaze began after the shooting which engulfed the complex.
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ISIS released a statement later in the evening claiming their fighters "attacked" a "big gathering for Christians in the Russian Moscow suburb" injuring "hundreds" and causing "major destruction." Russia's foreign ministry called the incident a "terrorist attack."
ISIS claimed the horrific attack in Russia (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)The former general said last month the terror group, who also claimed responsibility for a mass bombing in Iran in January, should be believed when they say they want to attack the US. "We should believe them when they say that. They're going to try to do it," McKenzie told ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
"I think the threat is growing. It began to grow as soon as we left Afghanistan, it took pressure off ISIS-K. So I think we should expect further attempts of this nature against the United States as well as our partners and other nations abroad," McKenzie said. "I think this is inevitable."
The retired general said the US maintains a large enough military presence in Iraq and Syria to stop extremists there but he believes there should have been a small troop presence kept in Afghanistan - rather than withdrawing completely in August 2021.
It brought an end to America's longest war but President Biden was criticised for the decision as he previously pledged there would be an "over-the-horizon capability" to "act quickly and decisively" in Afghanistan, even from a distance.
However, McKenzie refuted those claims and believes it is not possible. "In Afghanistan, we have almost no ability to see into that country and almost no ability to strike into that country," he said of the conditions on the ground now which he claims helps the Islamic State and other militants.
"If you can keep pressure on them ... in their homeland and their base, it makes it hard for them to conduct these types of attacks," he said. "Unfortunately, we no longer place that pressure on them, so they're free to gain strength, they're free to plan, they're free to coordinate."
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