OPINION:
An obscure hacking group related to the Islamic State, called the Caliphate Cyber Army, published a list of more than 3,000 New Yorkers and urged ISIS-affiliated terrorists to target them. The list includes many State Department, security and other government employees but also give the names, address and email address of many ordinary citizens. The FBI is attempting to contact those listed on the online information release.
The FBI stated in Mirror Online, “While our standard practice is to decline comment on specific operational and investigative matters, the FBI routinely notifies individuals and organizations of information collected during the course of an investigation that may be perceived as potentially threatening in nature.”
Security services think the threat is most likely not credible as much of the information is several years old and seems to be outdated.
Last year, the Islamic State released the names and addresses of upwards of 100 U.S. military members in another threat that the FBI took more seriously. The recently released list seems to be much more random in nature.
This threat comes upon the heels of credible threats from the Islamic State in Britain and across the European continent as hundreds of terrorists are reported to have infiltrated Western nations during the Syrian refugee crisis, posing as migrants seeking asylum. The Obama administration is trying to increase the number of Middle Eastern refugees allowed into the United States.
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