US intelligence has reportedly intercepted what it suspects are Iranian trigger messages activating “sleeper cells” around the world.
A federal government alert sent to law enforcement agencies cites "preliminary signals analysis" of a transmission "likely of Iranian origin" that was relayed across multiple countries shortly after the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to US news site ABC News.
The encrypted communications are believed to have been sent from inside Iran and may serve as "an operational trigger" for "sleeper assets" outside the country.
It's possible the transmissions could "be intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country," the alert said.
According to ABC, the alert added: "While the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness.”
A “sleeper cell” is the term used for agents or terrorists planted in countries who blend in with normal civilians until they are needed to carry out an attack.
While the alert is careful to say there is "no operational threat tied to a specific location," it does instruct law enforcement agencies to increase their monitoring of suspicious radio-frequency activity.
While no other countries have been identified so far, the JC has contacted the Metropolitan Police to ask if UK anti-terror authorities have been made aware of the US alert.
If the contents of the alert prove true, it would confirm the fears expressed by law enforcement officials that sleeper cells deployed around the West could be used for retaliation.
While there are no specific credible threats to the public as of yet, counter-intelligence experts have warned of the potential for revenge attacks on the US as a result of the wear in Iran.
Chris Swecker, a former assistant FBI director, told Fox News recently: “If ever there’s going to be a Hezbollah cell or a Hamas cell act in the United States in a violent way, it’s now.”
FBI Director Kash Patel has said US counterterrorism and intelligence agents were placed on high alert, with his teams “working 24/7, as always, to address and disrupt any potential threats” on US soil.
Speaking days after the joint US and Israeli attack in Tehran which killed the Ayatollah , former DHS senior adviser and Secret Service supervisor Charles Marino told the Daily Mail the US was facing a “convergence' of threats – from Iran-aligned lone wolves to potential sleeper cells.”
He said: “Is it possible you have 10, 15, 20 people in the country that are part of a cell that then go out and carry out simultaneous or near-simultaneous attacks? Yes.”
He warned terrorists seeking maximum carnage would likely target 'soft' venues: crowded events, such as concerts and sports matches, public spaces and mass gatherings.
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