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Storm clouds over the One World Trade Center in New York: September 11th marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on targets in the USA
Photo: ANDREW KELLY / REUTERS
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned of an increased risk of attacks in view of the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the corona pandemic.
The United States was exposed to an "increased threat level" from both domestic and foreign "extremists," the agency said in an updated assessment on Friday.
Accordingly, there are increasing calls to violence in online forums.
The Ministry had recently issued an updated warning following the storming of the Capitol by supporters of ex-President Donald Trump.
At the time, the agency said the country was facing "increasingly complex and volatile" threats from anti-government and racially motivated extremists.
In May, the security experts added that violent extremists could take advantage of the easing of the corona restrictions to carry out attacks.
With a view to the pandemic, the DHS has now warned that extremists "could use the potential reintroduction of public health restrictions in the US as an occasion for attacks."
In general, »pandemic-related stress factors« could lead to more violence.
The updated assessment of the threat situation also indicates that the Yemeni al-Qaeda offshoot AQAP published an English-language version of its propaganda magazine "Inspire" for the first time in over four years with a view to the anniversary of the attacks 20 years ago.
This shows "that foreign terrorist organizations continue to try to inspire people living in the USA who are susceptible to violent extremist influences."
The DHS was founded after the attacks on September 11, 2001, in which around 3,000 people were killed
ala / dpa