FBI and DHS issue joint bulletin warning of 'increase in threats' to federal law enforcement

The FBI's seal.
(Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security and FBI issued a joint intelligence bulletin warning that they have "observed an increase in threats to federal law enforcement and to a lesser extent other law enforcement and government officials following the FBI's recent execution of a search warrant in Palm Beach, Florida," NBC News reports.

The search warrant in question was carried out Monday at Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump's residence and private club. The bulletin was dated Friday, and states that the threats are being made online on social media sites, forums, image boards, and video sharing platforms, and some include personal identifying information about potential targets, a law enforcement official told NBC News. Two other officials said the bulletin was sent out of an abundance of caution, and states authorities need to be aware of domestic violence extremists and past incidents.

The three officials told NBC News one of the incidents cited in the bulletin took place on Thursday, when a man attempted to breach the FBI's Cincinnati field office. He fled the scene, and after exchanging fire with police officers, was killed during a standoff. Authorities identified the man as Ricky Shiffer, 42, a Navy veteran who claimed to have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and appeared to post on Trump's Truth Social platform after the Mar-a-Lago search that Trump supporters should "get whatever you need to be ready for combat."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.