Extremists motivated by events in the Middle East, as well as those driven by events at home, remain the potential threats for the Macy’s 4th of July celebrations in New York City and celebrations across the country according to a copy of a joint threat assessment produced by federal law enforcement agencies and the NYPD, and reviewed by NBC News.
Law enforcement officials said they are not currently tracking any specific or credible plot against the 4th of July celebrations but remain vigilant given the terror attacks that have already been conducted this year.
The assessment says that the 4th of July events in New York and elsewhere remain “attractive targets” for those motivated by foreign terrorist organizations (ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah), those organizations’ U.S. based supporters, domestic extremists, and others who feel compelled to commit mass violence to advance their ideology and agendas.
The length of the war between Hamas and Israel is – and has been for the past few months – a concern in the counterterrorism realm.
The report says, “Although violent extremists inspired by [Foreign Terrorist Organizations] rarely respond to singular events, the prolonged nature of the Israel-HAMAS conflict, sociopolitical grievances, and graphic images shared on mainstream and social media platforms have often been motivating factors in mobilization to violence.”
Of note, the document, 16 pages in length, says that officials are concerned about copycat attacks following the New Year’s Day car ramming attack in New Orleans and the New Year’s Eve 2022 machete attack on NYPD officers in Times Square, leading up to celebrations that night.
It advises law enforcement, based on prior incidents, to focus on the vehicle ramming threat not just at the beginning of an event but at the end of large events, when people are leaving the secured and vehicle-restricted access points.
The document notes the increasing use of drones in the Ukraine-Russia theater as well as recent plots uncovered in the U.S. that would have involved drones to highlight the “potential risk to spectators, volunteers, security personnel, and first responders in and around the event” that drones present.
As NBC News has previously reported, the NYPD maintains a dedicated drone unit with the capability to immediately identify drone operators and will use force if necessary to disable any unknown drone within the NYPD’s jurisdiction.
The assessment notes that in New York, events will be coordinated by the NYPD with the FBI’s assistance as the event is designated a SEAR level 2 event (a significant event with national or international importance that brings local and federal law enforcement agencies together).
