ATLANTA — A congressional committee on Tuesday asked the Homeland Security Department to explain what is being done to prevent violent extremists here and abroad from exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to terrorize Americans.
The letter from the House Homeland Security Committee, sent to the chief of threat prevention and security policy, comes on the heels of two federal assessments distributed to state and local authorities that radical white extremists were encouraging those infected with the virus to spread it to police and Jewish population centers.
“Extremists have, of course, long made calls to violence against vulnerable groups,” the letter states. “However, as the uncertainty, fears, and anxiety engendered by this pandemic strain our social fabric in many ways, we must renew our efforts to guard against vulnerabilities that bad actors may exploit.”
The letter also noted the desire by ISIS to leverage European preoccupation with the virus to gain the release of some of their members from prison.
The letter was sent by House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y., chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence & Counterterrorism.