Federal Bulletin Warns ISIS and Al-Qaeda Encourage Attacks Ahead of 25th Anniversary of September 11

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, a federal bulletin reviewed by ABC News warned that foreign terrorist organizations "continue to encourage attacks in the United States" and have released 9/11-related propaganda in advance of previous anniversaries.

“continue to encourage attacks in the United States”

ABC News

The bulletin said the FBI is concerned that terrorism actors in the U.S. may be inspired to conduct violence or engage in hoax threats in response to the 25th anniversary, and that those actors have showed willingness to act with little to no warning.

ABC News

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News that the U.S. is facing "a heightened and increasingly complex terrorism threat environment," adding that the environment has "changed significantly since the attacks of September 11, 2001."

The DHS spokesperson said, "Individuals and small cells now plot attacks independently," and that foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to seek ways to carry out or inspire attacks in the U.S.

ABC News also reported that the DHS spokesperson warned terrorists are experimenting with generative AI to create and circulate violent online propaganda and to explore ways to use explosives and biological agents to conduct attacks.

On the eve of the 25th anniversary, Lower Manhattan in New York stood as a symbol of remembrance and renewal, with a Lower Manhattan office worker telling WABC, "There's still the memorial and everything, so we do remember it, but it's more vibrant and we see more life here now."

WABC also quoted a tourist saying, "It's sad that that's what we had to happen, but I'd say it's pretty incredible," as the area’s transformation over the past quarter-century was described.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that in "one of the most dire circumstances, if not the most dire, that New York City ever faced, we bounced back," and he recalled it seemed unimaginable on Sept. 12, 2001 that Lower Manhattan could be rebuilt.

Schumer said he fought for federal funding to support the recovery effort and described persuading President George W. Bush to provide $20 billion, quoting Bush’s response when Schumer asked for the money: "You got it."

Following a meeting with firefighters in Lower Manhattan, Gov. Kathy Hochul called on Americans to embrace unity, saying, "My wish, my heartfelt wish, is people will set aside their divisiveness, their differences, and rekindle the spirit that existed in the city on September 12th."

Across the U.S., events and tributes commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, including in New York City and Washington, DC, as CNN reported that President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the Pentagon.

“a new seventh moment of silence”

CNN

CNN said a new seventh moment of silence would be held during the NYC commemoration ceremony for the thousands of people who have died from diseases linked to exposure to the toxic ash and rubble of the World Trade Center.

In a separate ABC News report, the DHS spokesperson warned that law enforcement takes seriously the possibility that a drone could be used near critical infrastructure or to disrupt emergency response operations.

ABC News also reported that FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia told ABC News' Pierre Thomas that drones are at the "forefront" of his priorities, adding, "You would be silly to think that that's not coming to the United States at some point."

CNN described remembrance at the Flight 93 memorial, where Moises Vladimir Cordero read the name of his late brother, Alejandro Cordero, aloud during a ceremony that included two bells and a wreath-laying.