According to an August 26 New York Police Department briefing, United States police and intelligence officials are worried about the two unrelated terrorists that took place in Europe last week. The officials added that their main concerns are what the elements surrounding these attacks reveal about the “threat environment” that the United States is currently facing, in the middle of a presidential election with such a high polarization.
The briefing detailed that while there is no evidence that back the claim that the two terrorist attacks in France and Germany were connected, both of them underscore two important elements. The first one is the elevated and complex threat environment of “terrorism/targeted” violence, which can affect many innocents in certain areas. The other one is the consistent use that many terrorists have been making of “low-tech tactics” against some vulnerable targets, which include houses of worship and even public gatherings. The officials explained that these two elements show the vulnerability of many innocents at the time of a terrorist attack.
The two terrorist attacks that were cited in the briefing included an arson attack in one of France’s main synagogues, as well as a stabbing in Germany, where a lone offender started to attack random civilians at a music festival on August 23 with a knife. People at the event said that the incident was an absolute horror as no one understood what was taking place while the terrorist was simply stabbing everyone who was near him. Local media reported that three people were brutally killed in the attack while eight others were severely injured. Germany’s authorities explained that the Islamic terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack and that while the motives behind the stabbing remain unknown, police were investigating the incident as a terrorist-related incident.
Less than 24 hours after that attack, a man set two vehicles on fire near a Paris synagogue and eventually tried to attack the religious center. French prosecutors explained that one of the cars that the suspect set on fire had some gas bottles that caused a “huge explosion,” which caused severe injuries to a police officer who was passing through. The prosecutors added that French officials arrested the suspect after he attacked law enforcement who arrived at the scene minutes later.
The briefing detailed that the attacks involved “malicious actors” from different sides of the ideological spectrum, which have been exacerbated by some geopolitical flashpoints. The document explained that the main one has been the war between the Israeli government and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. The armed conflict started after Hamas executed a terrorist attack on Israeli soil on October 7, 2024, killing thousands of innocents and kidnapping hundreds.
The New York Police Department said it was possible that those attacks in Europe could have follow-up attacks on Western nations, including the United States.
