CHICAGO (WLS) — In a surprising move, President Donald Trump has dismissed Kristi Noem, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, sparking concerns about the stability of national security in the United States.
Michael Masters, who serves as the national director and CEO of the Secure Community Network, remarked, “We’re facing an unprecedented threat landscape, not only for the Jewish community but for the entire nation, particularly after the recent U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran.”
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The Secure Community Network (SCN) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to monitoring threats targeting Jewish communities across the United States.
Masters highlighted the alarming situation: “Typically, we identify several thousand violent posts targeting the Jewish community each week. However, in the past six days, these posts have surged by over 100%.” He added, “We’re not only seeing increased calls for violence but also individuals ready to act on these threats.”
He referenced a disturbing incident involving the discovery of an Iranian flag on a mass shooter in Austin, Texas. While the FBI is exploring potential terrorism connections, no direct links to Iranian-backed terrorist groups have been confirmed.
This potential threat of domestic retaliation coincides with a significant change in leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, following Noem’s dismissal by the president on Thursday.
“We know they’ve targeted U.S. officials. We know they have targeted foreign officials. We know they have attempted to undertake directed attacks or enabled attacks or inspired attacks here in the United States. We should be under no illusion that in their moments of desperation, they’re going to try to accelerate all of those things,” Masters said.
Separately, the I-Team has learned some individuals in the Chicago area have now requested 24/7 private security after Iranian clerics issued fatwas calling on Muslims worldwide to avenge the killing of the ayatollah.
“Every single day we are identifying threats of violence, threats to life, threats to maim or kill members of the Jewish community, threats to maim or kill American citizens that we take seriously,” Masters said. “It has accelerated in recent weeks, is accelerated in recent years. It’s not going to create a prohibition of living our lives, however.”
Masters said just days ago his team briefed the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and over a thousand members of law enforcement about the extraordinary increase in threats Secure Community Network is tracking.
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