Law enforcement issues ‘lone wolf' July 4 attacks warning
The agencies issued a joint bulletin in late June warning the public to stay vigilant, particularly if attending major July 4 celebrations, such as the Macy's fireworks display in New York City, according to an assessment obtained by CNN.
Potential attackers could be motivated by the Israel–Palestine war, the agencies reportedly said.
'The most significant terrorism threat facing the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks stems from lone offenders and small groups of individuals seeking to commit acts of violence,' the agencies said in the Joint Special Event Threat Assessment, according to the network. 'Most attackers motivated at least in part by the Israel-HAMAS conflict have selected targets with a symbolic link to Israel, houses of worship, or locations associated with houses of worship.'
'Individuals with grievances linked to the conflict could also perceive large gatherings, such as Independence Day celebrations, as opportunistic targets symbolic of the West in general,' it continued.
While it is not unusual for law enforcement to issue threat assessments and warnings before major events and holidays, recent high-profile events have prompted 'additional concern,' CNN reports.
'Special events with high attendance and media coverage … remain attractive targets' for those who may want to 'cause mass casualties or draw attention to their causes,' the bulletin added.
The bulletin said the agencies were 'concerned' about the potential threat of 'copycat attacks inspired by the 2025 New Year's Day vehicle-ramming attack in New Orleans' and foreign terrorist organizations who call for attacks against the West.
On January 1, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd of revellers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring at least 30 others.
The agencies also highlighted last month's attack in Boulder, Colorado, in the threat assessment. Mohamed Sabry Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state counts of attempted murder after allegedly launching a firebombing attack on a group demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The DHS and FBI also warned of drones, which it said 'may pose a hazard to participants and attendees, delay events, and disrupt law enforcement.'
There were 'no credible' reports of drones being used to target the Macy's firework show in New York, the agencies said, but they assessed there was some 'potential to increase public safety risks.'
'While we cannot on any specific product, the FBI regularly shares information with our law enforcement partners to assist in protecting the communities they serve, as well as with our private sector partners for awareness,' the FBI said in a statement to The Independent. 'The FBI always encourages members of the public to be vigilant and report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.'
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Fury as popular tax break set to end in the fall: 'Hypocritical and short-sighted'
A well-used tax credit is being put out to pasture. Car analysts are not happy. The Republican sweeping Big, Beautiful Bill will eliminate the $7,500 tax credit for new EV and plug-in hybrid purchases — a key incentive created under the Inflation Reduction Act. A $4,000 credit for buyers of used electric vehicles will also get the axe on September 30. Critics of the credit argue it reins in spending on programs that haven't lived up to expectations. 'Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, there have been significant concerns about the cost of these tax credits,' Bernie Moreno, a Republican Senator from Ohio and former car dealership manager, wrote in an open letter. But supporters of the tax break see a missed opportunity. 'It's almost hilariously hypocritical and short-sighted — but that's the Trump Administration,' Robby DeGraff, the manager of consumer insights at AutoPacific, told 'It's really all a shame, especially from a paranoid administration so hellbent on ensuring "consumer choice."' Buyers can still qualify for credits on eligible vehicles purchased before September 30. Republicans have long criticized the EV credits, arguing the incentives were out of step with consumer demand and too generous to an industry they see as premature. EV adoption has steadily grown since the program launched. But the vehicles still make up just around 10 percent of the overall new car market — falling short of the rapid transition lawmakers envisioned. The credit was designed with two main goals in mind: supercharge domestic manufacturing and encourage Americans to transition to lower-emission vehicles. DeGraff outlined three key ways he believes the removal of the credit under Trump's bill will backfire. First, he said the bill will push car prices even higher. In June, it cost around $49,000 to drive a new set of wheels off a dealership lot. That pushed the average monthly payment above $700. Right now, Americans are paying a premium for electric vehicles, in part due to the costs of ramping up domestic production. The now-expiring credit helped offset those investment costs for consumers, but only for vehicles built largely in the US. Second, DeGraf said the tax bill will crush American manufacturing. 'Slower sales and demand will lead to production pauses at plants and consequently layoffs,' he said. 'Perhaps the comical thing to consider, is that many of these states that do build EVs and have received massive investments and had automakers employ massive amounts of workers are Republican states.' Finally, DeGraff said it makes it harder for US automakers to compete globally. Major Chinese automakers have received huge subsidies for their vehicles. Companies like BYD, Nio, XPeng, and Zeekr have built competitive, low cost vehicles in highly automated factories. The cars typically have higher build quality, electric range, and technology, all for a cheaper price. And they're coming to global markets, where American manufacturers want to be competitive. China and EU officials are currently negotiating how to bring the cheap EVs to the European market without crushing the continent's local carmakers. American delegates are reportedly not involved in that negotiation. Detroit's big three carmakers likely aren't having their voices heard in the market, which is the largest in the world. Meanwhile, some of America's biggest carmaking employers — including GM, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and their parts suppliers — are already under pressure. Carmakers are paying 25 percent tariffs on some of their vehicles and parts shipped to the US.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Cops say speed was a factor in Sophia Hutchins' ATV crash as friend Caitlyn Jenner battles 'tough times'
Sophia Hutchins was speeding in the ATV she was driving when she rear-ended another vehicle on a winding mountainous road in Malibu and careened over a cliff 350 feet to her death, investigators tell the Hutchins, who was Caitlyn Jenner 's manager and beloved confidant, is believed to have been traveling at a rapid rate southbound on steeply-inclined Decker Canyon Road in a black and blue-colored 2013 Polaris 'side-by-side' when she slammed into a gray 2016 Mazda 6. 'It looks like she may have been speeding and rear-ended the other car, the other party, and then that caused her to veer to the right and go off the cliff,' said Sergeant Eduardo Saucedo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, based at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. 'It doesn't seem like she was following them. I think she just she came up on them and then hit the car.' Sgt. Saucedo added that there were two females in the other vehicle, a gray 2016 Mazda 6. 'So it looked like she tried to maneuver to go around it, but she was going too fast and just ended up clipping the rear end of that Mazda, causing her to veer off and go off the cliff there.' The incident occurred at 11:30am on July 2, a quarter of a mile south of Decker Edison Road where Jenner lives. Saucedo said he believes the former Olympian, impassioned MAGA fan and supporter and of President Donald Trump attended the accident site while Sheriff's deputies were on scene. He said it would not be known if drugs or alcohol were involved until a toxicology report is provided by the coroner's office. A search and rescue team rappelled down the cliffside to recover Hutchins' body, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Both of the women in the Mazda were uninjured and stayed at the scene to be interviewed by the deputies. The driver, revealed Saucedo, was a local realtor who had been showing a house in the area. Speaking with the on Friday, Saucedo revealed that the damaged ATV had been left in place in the ravine because the 'tow company didn't have a line that was long enough to attach it and pull it up.' The same day, an emotional Jenner, 75, revealed to that she was going through 'tough times' amid her obvious searing grief. She spent the national holiday in mourning at her remote four-bedroom, four-bathroom mountain-top Malibu home, complete with stunning 360-degree views, that she purchased in 2015 for $3,575,000. Then in the afternoon she was spotted visiting a local Starbucks on Pacific Coast Highway for a refreshment. This is not the first time Jenner has dealt with immense tragedy following a vehicle accident fatality. In 2015, she was driving a Cadillac Escalade towing a trailer with an off-road vehicle when traffic suddenly slowed ahead and she rear-ended a Lexus driven by Kimberly Howe, 70, which was already slowing or had stopped. The force of the impact shunted Howe's vehicle into the opposite lane, where it was struck head-on by a Hummer. She died at the scene. Four vehicles were involved in the horrific accident. Sheriff's investigators found Jenner was traveling within the speed limit, though possibly 'unsafe for road conditions.' She braked 1.5 to 2 seconds before impact, having eased off the gas around four seconds prior. The case was reviewed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office but prosecutors concluded that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that her actions were unreasonable or negligent, so they declined to pursue vehicular manslaughter charges citing a lack of evidence despite the sheriff's department recommending manslaughter. Jenner had to pay $800,000 to settle a lawsuit and also pay for the plaintiffs' medical expenses and attorneys' fees. Hutchins featured heavily in the reality series 'I Am Cait' which ran for two seasons. She previously told The New York Times that they 'were never romantically involved' with each other which Jenner has repeated. 'I don't feel a need to address my sex life, quite frankly, unless I want to,' Hutchins told the outlet in 2019. Then aged 23, she riffed on Jenner's superstar relatives: 'I'm on good terms with all the family, but I'm closest with Kris, Kim, Kylie and Kendall.' Hutchins' last public appearance with Jenner was in 2024 when Sophia accompanied her to the April 2024 White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C. Just like her boss, Hutchins was a vocal supporter of Trump and met with him, posted to social media: 'The energy, passion, and commitment for our movement to Save America has never been greater! We will never give up' In January of this year, Hutchins also posted to Instagram a photo of she and Jenner celebrating Trump's second inauguration with Judge Jeanine Pirro. Jenner re-posted the image to her own Instagram for her 15.2 million followers to see. Hutchins' final Instagram post was in April when she showed followers a picture broken candelabra that had been repaired. She was a student at the prestigious Pepperdine University when she met Jenner. In 2016, Hutchins told her school newspaper that it was her new friend who inspired her to transition.
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Emil Bove's confirmation hearing was a travesty
In The Godfather, a Mafia turncoat appears before a Senate committee in order to testify as a protected witness about its operations. Frank Pentangeli, 'Frankie Five Angels', a capo allied with the old godfather, Vito Corleone, has had a falling out with the new one, his son Michael Corleone, who attempted to assassinate him. As Pentangeli is about to speak at the hearing, he notices his brother Vincenzo, a mafioso from Sicily, seated behind him. Michael has arranged his grim looming presence. Pentangeli is suddenly reminded of his oath of omerta, the code of silence. He recants on the spot, saying that he just told the FBI 'what they wanted to hear'. On 25 June, Emil Bove, Donald Trump's former personal attorney, whom he had named associate deputy attorney general, and now after five months seeks to elevate as a federal judge on the US third circuit court of appeals, appeared before the Senate judiciary committee for his confirmation hearing. He faced, at least potentially, a far-ranging inquiry into his checkered career. There were charges of abusive behavior as an assistant US attorney. There was his role as enforcer of the alleged extortion of New York City Mayor Eric Adams to cooperate in the Trump administration's migrant roundups in exchange for dropping the federal corruption case against him. There was Bove's dismissal of FBI agents and prosecutors who investigated the January 6 insurrection. And there was more. On the eve of the hearing, the committee received a shocking letter from a whistleblower, a Department of Justice attorney, who claimed that Bove said, in response to a federal court ruling against the administration's immigration deportation policy: 'DoJ would need to consider telling the courts 'fuck you' and ignore any such order.' Senator Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, the committee chairperson, the ancient mariner of the right wing at 91 years old, gaveled the session to order by invoking new rules never before used with a nominee in a confirmation hearing. Instead of opening the questioning to examine the nominee's past, he would thwart it. Grassley announced that Bove would be shielded by the 'deliberative-process privilege and attorney-client privilege' from 'an intense opposition campaign by my Democratic colleagues and by their media allies'. This was the unique imposition of a code of omerta. 'My understanding is that Congress has never accepted the constitutional validity of either such privilege,' objected Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island. 'This witness has no right to invoke that privilege,' said Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. But Grassley stonewalled. Prominently seated in the audience behind Bove were the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, and the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche. Never before had such top officials been present at a confirmation hearing for a judicial nominee. The federal government through the justice department would inevitably appear in cases before his court. The attorney general and her deputy created an immediate perception of conflict of interest, an ethical travesty. But Bondi and Blanche were not there to silence Bove. They were there to intimidate the Republican senators. If there were any dissenters among them, they knew that they would suffer retribution. 'Their being here is for one reason – to whip the Republicans into shape,' said Blumenthal. 'To make sure that they toe the line. They are watching.' The rise of Emil Bove is the story of how a lawyer from the ranks associated himself with Donald Trump, proved his unswerving loyalty to become a made man, and has been richly rewarded with a nomination for a lifetime federal judgeship, presumably to continue his service. In his opening statement, Bove said: 'I want to be clear about one thing up front: there is a wildly inaccurate caricature of me in the mainstream media. I'm not anybody's henchman. I'm not an enforcer.' Bove began his career as a paralegal and then a prosecutor in the US attorney's office for the southern district of New York. He was known for his attention to detail, relentlessness and sharp elbows. Seeking a promotion to supervisor, a group of defense attorneys including some who had been prosecutors in his office wrote a letter claiming he had 'deployed questionable tactics, including threatening defendants with increasingly severe charges the lawyers believed he couldn't prove', according to Politico. Bove posted the letter in his office to display his contempt. He was denied the promotion, but eventually received it. As a supervisor, Bove was known as angry, belittling and difficult. He developed an abrasive relationship with FBI agents. After complaints, an executive committee in the US attorney's office investigated and suggested he be demoted. He pleaded he would exercise more self-control and was allowed to remain in his post. 'You are aware of this inquiry and their recommendation?' Senator Mazie Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, asked Bove about the incident. Bove replied: 'As well as the fact that I was not removed.' In 2021, in the prosecution of an individual accused of evading sanctions on Iran, a team Bove supervised as the unit chief won a jury verdict. But then the US attorney's office discovered the case was 'marred by repeated failures to disclose exculpatory evidence and misuse of search-warrant returns' by the prosecutors handling the case, according to the judge. Declaring that 'errors and ethical lapses in this case are pervasive', she vacated the verdict and dismissed the charges as well as chastising those prosecutors for falling short of their 'constitutional and ethical obligations' in 'this unfortunate chapter' and criticizing Bove for providing sufficient supervision to prevent those failures. Bove became a private attorney, joining the law firm of Todd Blanche, whom Trump hired in 2023 to defend him in the New York case involving his payment of hush-money to the adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Blanche brought Bove along as his second chair. The qualities that made him a black sheep in the US attorney's office recommended him to Blanche and his client. In Bove's questioning of David Pecker, publisher of the National Enquirer, about his payments to women in his 'catch-and-kill' scheme to protect Trump, Bove twice botched the presentation of evidence, was admonished by the judge and apologized. Trump was convicted of 34 felonies of financial fraud to subvert an election. Upon Trump's election, he appointed Bove as acting deputy attorney general and then associate deputy once Todd Blanche was confirmed as deputy, reuniting the law partners, both Trump defense attorneys now resuming that role in an official capacity. On 31 January, Bove sent two memos, the first firing dozens of justice department prosecutors and the second firing FBI agents who had worked on the cases of January 6 insurrectionists, whom Trump pardoned on his inauguration day. Bove quoted Trump that their convictions were 'a grave national injustice'. He also had his own history of conflict with fellow prosecutors and FBI agents. Asked about his actions by Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, Bove presented himself as even-handed. 'I did and continue to condemn unlawful behavior, particularly violence against law enforcement,' he said. 'At the same time, I condemn heavy-handed and unnecessary tactics by prosecutors and agents.' Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion In February, Bove played a principal role in filing criminal charges claiming corruption in the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The head of the criminal division at the US attorney's office of the District of Columbia, Denise Cheung, believing there was no factual basis to the accusation, resigned with a statement praising those who are 'following the facts and the law and complying with our moral, ethical and legal obligations'. When Whitehouse sought to ask Bove about the episode, Bove replied: 'My answer is limited to: 'I participated in the matter.'' Whitehouse turned to Grassley. 'Do you see my point now?' he said. The code of omerta was working to frustrate questioning. Bove also deflected questions about his central role in the dropping of charges against Eric Adams. The acting US attorney for the southern district of New York, Danielle Sassoon, had resigned in protest, writing in a letter that Bove's memo directing her to dismiss the charges had 'nothing to do with the strength of the case'. She noted that in the meeting to fix 'what amounted to a quid pro quo … Mr Bove admonished a member of my team who took notes during that meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the meeting's conclusion.' Questioned about the Adams scandal, Bove denied any wrongdoing. Senator John A Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, played his helpmate. He asked Bove to 'swear to your higher being' that there was no quid pro quo. 'Absolutely not,' Bove said. 'Do you swear on your higher being?' 'On every bone in my body,' Bove replied. Hallelujah! Then Bove was asked about the letter sent by former justice department lawyer Erez Reuveni alleging that Bove planned the defiance of court rulings against the administration's deportation policy. 'I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order,' Bove said. Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, repeatedly asked him if it was true he had said 'fuck you' as his suggested plan of action against adverse court decisions. Bove hemmed and hawed, and finally said: 'I don't recall.' Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, remarked: 'I am hoping more evidence is going to come out that shows that you lied before this committee.' Grassley, however, succeeded in protecting Bove. Bondi and Blanche stared down the Republican senators whose majority can put Bove on the bench. He is Trump's model appointment of what he wants in a judge. In announcing his nomination, Trump tweeted: 'Emil Bove will never let you down!' In another scene in The Godfather, Virgil 'The Turk' Sollozzo, another Mafia boss, comes to Vito Corleone, offering a deal to cut him in on the narcotics trade. 'I need, Don Corleone,' he says, 'those judges that you carry in your pockets like so many nickels and dimes.' It was an offer that the Godfather refused. He left the drugs, but kept the judges. Sidney Blumenthal, a former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth. He is a Guardian US columnist and co-host of The Court of History podcast
