FBI warns of possible ISIS-inspired attacks on churches at Christmas

A church steeple
(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images)

The FBI issued a warning to local law enforcement Friday that the Islamic State has urged supporters in the United States to attack holiday gatherings this weekend, including churches celebrating Christmas. The warning came after ISIS-linked websites posted a list of churches, but the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security emphasized there are no known, credible threats against any congregations.

"As part of the continuous dialogue with our law enforcement partners, the FBI routinely shares information about potential threats to better enable law enforcement to protect the communities they serve," said FBI representative Andrew Ames, indicating that the warning has been sent out of an abundance of caution. "As with similar threats, the FBI is tracking this matter while we investigate its credibility."

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.