FACT CHECK: TikTok Video Falsely Claims FBI Has Warned Of Hamas Attacks On Cities Including New York And San Francisco
A video shared on TikTok claims Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray has purportedly warned of Hamas attacks in the U.S., with multiple cities including New York and San Francisco potentially being targets.
@damonkilgore Just watch this and thought everyone should know about it so plz share this.#fyp #foryou #foryoupage #fypシ #fy #americanpeople #lookwhatbidenhasdone #needtrumpback ♬ original sound – Damon Kilgore
Verdict: False
While Wray said the current Israel-Hamas conflict could inspire Hamas attacks in the U.S., neither he nor the FBI has explicitly discussed threats affecting cities such as New York and San Francisco. An FBI National Press Office spokesperson also denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has killed 18 Palestinians and injured at least 20 others as a result of a daytime raid in the West Bank, according to The Guardian. The IDF said an airstrike purportedly “hit an armed squad of men in the city,” the outlet reported.
“The FBI director warned attacks from Hamas and Iran could be coming to the United States as a result of U.S. support for Israel in the Middle East,” the social media user who posted the video purports via the video’s comment section. In the video, an unnamed male claims multiple cities, including New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia should be “on watch.” The unnamed male who appears in the video also warns of potential attacks on the U.S. electrical grid and other infrastructure.
The claim is false. During a recent Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing, Wray said Hamas’s actions as a result of its current conflict with Israel could inspire similar attacks in the U.S., but he did not name any explicit threats matching that of the claim. In addition, Wray mentioned that the FBI is conducting “multiple, ongoing investigations” into people linked to Hamas.
Likewise, the claim is neither referenced on the FBI’s website nor its verified social media accounts. The federal agency did, however, release a statement responding to Hamas’s surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel, saying it was not aware of any specific or credible threats to the U.S. at the time.
“While the FBI does not have specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas attacks in Israel, we are closely monitoring unfolding events and will share relevant information with our state, local, federal and international law enforcement, intelligence and homeland security partners to ensure they are prepared for any impacts to public safety. We will not hesitate to adjust our security posture, as appropriate, to protect the American people,” the agency’s statement read in part.
Furthermore, Check Your Fact has not found any credible news reports supporting the claim made via the TikTok video. (RELATED: No, Russia Did Not Post A Video Simulating A Nuclear Attack On The U.S.)
An FBI National Press Office spokesperson denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“The FBI has not issued such a warning and we do not have credible intelligence about coordinated attacks in the U.S.,” the spokesperson said.