WATCH LIVE: FBI director faces grilling on Capitol Hill
Christopher Wray testifies in FBI oversight hearing as our nation faces growing threats.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Tuesday that the terror threat facing the United States has reached unprecedented levels since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Wray to describe the current "threat matrix" facing the United States at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
"What I would say that is unique about the environment that we're in right now in my career is that while there may have been times over the years where individual threats could have been higher here or there than where they may be right now, I've never seen a time where all the threats or so many of the threats are all elevated, all at exactly the same time," the FBI director replied.
"So, blinking red lights analogy about 9/11 — all the lights were blinking red before 9/11, apparently," Graham continued. "Obviously, all of us missed it. Would you say there's multiple blinking red lights out there?" he asked.
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Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 05, 2023 in Washington, DC. Wray used the oversight hearing to call for a renewal the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act's Section 702 authorities, which allow the FBI and other intelligence agencies to spy on foreigners. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
"I see blinking red lights everywhere," Wray answered.
He later told Graham that since the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, when Hamas terrorists brutally murdered at least 1,200 Israelis, a "veritable rogue's gallery of foreign terrorists" has called for attacks against the U.S.
"The threat level has gone to a whole nother level since Oct. 7," Wray emphasized.
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U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney. The Pentagon has confirmed 74 attacks by Iranian-backed proxy groups on U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. (U.S. Navy via Associated Press/File)
The director's comments on Tuesday echo what he said in October, when he warned Senate lawmakers, "The actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven't seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in October that reported threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities in the United States spiked in the days and weeks after the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The number of attacks on U.S. military bases overseas by Iran-backed proxy groups rose in November as well, with the Pentagon confirming at least 74 attacks on U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East since Oct. 17.
The 74 attacks on U.S. troops have taken place in Iraq and Syria and began on Oct. 17 by Iraqi militia groups. The attacks are reportedly linked to the U.S.’s support for Israel in its retaliation against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following its attack on Oct. 7.
The attacks do not include ballistic missiles being shot in the direction of U.S. military vessels, which commanding officers on those ships have ordered to be shot down.
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At home, the FBI and Las Vegas police this week foiled an alleged "lone wolf" terror plot by a teenager who pledged support to ISIS.
On Friday, a 16-year-old suspect was arrested, and federal agents found components to build an explosive device and terrorist propaganda, officials said. The arrest was made after the suspect allegedly made special media posts announcing his plan for "lone wolf operations in Las Vegas against the enemies of Allah."
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner, Liz Friden and Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.
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