Threat of domestic attacks on the rise before midterm elecitons - NPR

Security unit hold for voters extracurricular the Leon County Supervisor of Elections bureau connected Nov. 3, 2020, successful Tallahassee, Fla. Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

Security unit hold for voters extracurricular the Leon County Supervisor of Elections bureau connected Nov. 3, 2020, successful Tallahassee, Fla.

Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

U.S. information agencies person issued a heightened menace advisory, informing of a imaginable attacks connected governmental candidates, predetermination officials and others. The alert came Friday, the aforesaid time that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked successful their San Francisco home.

NPR has obtained the bulletin issued by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the U.S. Capitol Police.

Attacks conducted by lone actors airs the astir plausible menace to imaginable targets, the bulletin warned. The hazard of unit is fueled by an summation successful home convulsive extremism, and those carrying retired the attacks would apt bash truthful for ideological reasons.

Most individuals are apt to mention the 2020 statesmanlike election, repeating the mendacious communicative that the results were skewed, and that former-President Donald Trump was the rightful winner, according to the warning.

Since 2021, perceptions of a fraudulent predetermination person contributed to respective attacks oregon convulsive plots, and the bulletin added that caller theories of fraud undermining the midterm elections person been emerging.

The advisory said that past month, home convulsive extremists were identified arsenic claiming the electoral strategy of being "under attack" and threatened unit against politicians.

With little than 2 weeks earlier Election Day, President Biden connected Friday called connected governmental figures to "clearly and unambiguously" cull governmental violence, calling the onslaught connected the Pelosi "despicable."

The president, citing quality reports, drew ties betwixt what Friday's attacker allegedly said — chanting, "Where's Nancy?" — and what rioters said portion storming the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.

"What makes america deliberation that 1 enactment tin speech astir stolen elections, COVID being a hoax, it's each a clump of lies — and it not impact radical who whitethorn not beryllium truthful well-balanced? What makes america deliberation that it's not going to corrode the governmental climate?" helium said.

In the bulletin, instrumentality enforcement officials warned that the menace of unit extends beyond conscionable politicians, with spiritual minorities besides listed arsenic a imaginable target.

"We measure immoderate [domestic convulsive extremists] motivated by election-related grievances would apt presumption election-related infrastructure, personnel, and voters progressive successful the predetermination process arsenic charismatic targets — including astatine publically accessible locations similar polling places, ballot drop-box locations, elector registration sites, run events, and governmental enactment offices," the bulletin said.

It warned that extremists could people election-related locations successful hopes of "swaying voting habits, undermining perceptions of the legitimacy of the voting process, oregon prompting a authorities reaction."