Hamas-style terror attack could occur in US, former FBI and National Counterterrorism official says

A terror attack similar to that executed by Hamas on Oct. 7 against Israel, resulting in the slaughter of more than 1,400 people, could be carried out on United States soil, according to Kevin Brock, a former FBI assistant intelligence director and former National Counterterrorism Center principal deputy director.

It is "careless" to think that the Oct. 7 terror attack "is contained to the region and can’t realistically happen here," Brock wrote Monday for an opinion article in The Messenger, titled, "Hamas Attack Reveals a New Terror Strategy That Could Happen Here."

The attacks exposed two main vulnerabilities facing the U.S.: "Complacency" and "a new terror tactic," he said.

Despite having a widely acclaimed intelligence service, Israel appeared to be surprised by the attack. 

"Israel became too complacent," Brock wrote. "Things had been relatively quiet for a while and if something were afoot, the richly funded intelligence apparatus would likely pick up on it. This is where the United States must sit up and take note. Complacency is the first enemy of counterterrorism."

The other factor is how Hamas used a new tactic of paragliding their operatives over the Gaza Strip border into southern Israel. The terrorists also took down communications towers, tore down parts of the barrier and took over border crossings.

"The history of terrorism over the past 50 years tells us that when a new terror tactic is deployed, it remains in fashion for a time if perceived to be successful. The novel Hamas tactic of heavily arming swarms of young men to simultaneously roam about in groups and start shooting the unsuspecting en masse is now a thing, ready to be mimicked, like it or not," Brock also wrote.

It is "considerably less challenging" to enter the United States, Brock wrote. "The most unsettling reality is that, in the past couple of years, the number of border encounters of individuals on the terrorism watch list or from hostile nations has increased dramatically."

The number of known individuals on the terror watchlist who have attempted to enter the U.S. hit a record high last year, as did the number of illegal immigrants who tried to enter.

Brock said that to prevent another Hamas-style attack from occurring in the United States, the country should crack down on the border, look into military-aged men entering the U.S. from known terrorism hotbeds and determine which people posing potential terror threats have already entered the U.S. He also said officials should start studying likely stateside targets, which would be "populations and events known to be less armed and protected."

The FBI said two days after the attacks that it "does not have specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas attacks in Israel." Days later, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that there is an "increase in reported threats" following the invasion of Israel by Hamas. 

More recently, the FBI said last week that it is "continuing to monitor threats both in the United States and overseas" and "has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions."

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