After deadly shooting in Colorado Springs, threats of attacks on schools, churches and against the LGBT community grow
As if it were a cycle of violence almost impossible to break, now the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a terrorist threat bulletin warning that domestic extremists have posted praise online for the fatal shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado earlier of this month.
“We have observed actors on forums known for posting racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist content praising the alleged attacker,” DHS warned in its latest National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) bulletin, reiterating concerns about attacks by imitation, after the shooting that killed five people. and injured at least 18 more.
Investigators from the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis exposed similar praise from US actors who encouraged violence following a shooting at an LGBTQ bar in the Slovak capital last month that left two dead, highlighting the transnational nature of the threat. for LGBTQ communities.
According to the information, the DHS emphasized that it has become increasingly common for people who embrace different strands of extremist ideologies to “mix” online. “To have a set of violent, racially or ethnically motivated actors look at this attack in Colorado and single it out as something worth emulating, I don’t think I would find it particularly surprising.”
According to the risk map, the main focuses will be public gatherings, faith-based institutions, the LGBTQI+ community, schools, racial and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, critical US infrastructure, the media and ideological opponents.
DHS did not cite any specific plots, but noted “a heightened threat environment” with “lone offenders and small groups motivated by a variety of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances.”
“ In the coming months, threat actors could exploit various upcoming events to justify or commit acts of violence , including certifications related to the midterm elections, the holiday season and associated large gatherings, the celebration of two years since the breach of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and potential sociopolitical developments related to ideological beliefs or personal hostility,” the bulletin reads.