FBI And Homeland Security Warn That Violence Over Innocence of Muslims Spread To U.S.

 

Violence and anti-American protests have spread throughout the Muslim world over a controversial film, Innocence of Muslims, that has been widely criticized as offensive to the Muslim religion. Now the Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning that violence could spread to the United States in a joint statement with the Department of Homeland Security.

RELATED: Secretary Of State Clinton: Violence In Response To Speech Is Not Acceptable

The statement did not include any information on possible current threats to the United States, but warns that American extremist groups could use the outrage over the video to “exploit anger.”

The Joint Intelligence Bulletin issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said “the risk of violence could increase both at home and abroad as the film continues to gain attention.”

“First responders should remain aware of the potential for spontaneous large crowds and protests that could overwhelm resources and should be vigilant for possible efforts to encourage peaceful protesters to commit acts of violence,” the warning said.

It urged “faith-based organizations to promptly report suspicious activities that could indicate pre-operational plotting against Jewish, Coptic, Islamic, or any other faith-based communities.”

Meanwhie, the deputy interior minister of Libya is now telling the Associated Press that the attacks were most likely carried out as cover while civilians were protesting the movie.

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Josh Feldman is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: josh@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @feldmaniac