FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Wednesday that the odds of terrorists using civilian drones in the U.S. to attack “mass gatherings” is “steadily increasing.”
Wray offered the dire warning in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
“The FBI assesses that, given their retail availability, lack of verified identification requirement to procure, general ease of use, and prior use overseas, [unmanned aircraft systems] will be used to facilitate an attack in the United States against a vulnerable target, such as a mass gathering,” Wray testified.
Wray said terrorist groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, as well as Mexican drug cartels and MS-13, have made “repeated and dedicated efforts” to use commercial drones as weapons.
>>> For more insight on this issue, read “Local Law Enforcement Hamstrung in Tackling Drone Threat.”
“Terrorist groups could easily export their battlefield experiences to use weaponized [unmanned aircraft systems] outside the conflict zone,” he added.
Wray has previously warned of the threat posed by commercial drones.
He testified in September 2017 that terrorist attacks using drones were coming to the U.S. “imminently.”
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