New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) warned city residents to beware of “lone wolves” in the wake of the deadly attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend.
Adams said at a press conference Tuesday alongside city officials that law enforcement will be monitoring social media sites for threats against religious communities as the fighting in Israel and Gaza continues. He said statements posted on social media platforms may exacerbate the issue, noting that “lone wolves” could be radicalized online.
“I think it aggravates the problem and don’t underestimate lone wolves,” Adams said. “You know, people who are who are being radicalized online. And when you put out statements that I have read on some of these sites, you can motivate terrible behaviors.”
When asked what New Yorkers should look for in terms of a “lone wolf attack,” NYPD’s Chief of Patrol John Chell reiterated that the police department is moving resources to religious communities and institutions.
“Saturday morning, the team is on a phone early morning coordinating our response, moving an incredible amount of resources to protect our Jewish community, all churches and religious institutions in the city,” Chell said. “We have multiple community calls with faith leaders from the Jewish religion, the Muslim religion. Very well received, getting everyone on the same page as to what we’re doing.”
Adams also urged city residents to be on “high alert” and to inform a law enforcement officer if they see something suspicious.
“If someone is hanging around a synagogue or you know, you see some within the community that is suspicious, see something say something do something,” Adams said. “This is an important time. If you have a law enforcement person who’s assigned to your synagogue or to your synagogue, they should be positioned and enough to observe what’s going on inside.”
“We’re the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. And we want our synagogues, our personnel to be extremely conscious,” he added.
Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend. An Israeli military official confirmed Tuesday that more than 1,000 people have been killed in Israel — making it the deadliest militant attack in the nation’s history. Israel’s retaliatory action in Gaza has left at least another 830 people dead.
The New York FBI bureau said in a statement Tuesday that it is increasing “its focus on potential threats” as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas. The agency urged residents to report anything suspicious to the FBI.
“We remain in constant contact with our federal, state, and local partners, to include the NYPD, and our community partners. While we don’t have specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to our city, we encourage the public to remain vigilant,” the FBI said.