Homeland security alert for NJ after strikes on Iran nuclear facilities

🔴 Pro-Iranian activists are expected to launch cyberattacks

🔴 New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness issues alert

🔴 Local law enforcement issues warnings

The top domestic security officials in New Jersey and the United States are on high alert and on the lookout for possible attacks after strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

On Saturday, President Donald Trump ordered B-2 bombers to drop 30,000 bunker-busting bombs on Iran. The bombings were the first action the U.S. had taken to directly enter the conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13.

While the strikes happened over 6,000 miles away from New Jersey, they will affect thousands of residents in the Garden State.

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According to the Berman Jewish DataBank, around 626,000 New Jersey residents are Jewish. And according to the Migration Policy Institute, around 5,800 New Jersey residents were immigrants born in Iran as of 2023.

On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that retaliation from Iran or violent extremists could target groups that are "Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the US government."

Iran could launch more counterattacks

On Monday, Iran launched missile strikes against the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Qatar said all the missiles were intercepted and no casualties were reported, the Associated Press reported.

In Iraq, the Ain al-Assad base housing U.S. troops was also targeted by an attack. An Iraqi security official said to the AP that Iran did not take credit for the attack, which could have been launched by militias.

Federal authorities with DHS said it's possible that, similarly, groups sympathetic to Iran could launch cyber attacks on the U.S. in retaliation for Saturday's strikes.

They are monitoring a "heightened threat environment" and possible terrorist attacks.

"Low-level cyber attacks against U.S. networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks," the DHS said.

New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness issues alert

In New Jersey, state officials said there were no credible threats to the Garden State as of Sunday night.

However, the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness said the "situation remains highly fluid."

Authorities are monitoring for any potential threats.

READ MORE: Impact Of U.S. Strikes On Iran's Nuclear Program

"This includes the possibility of cyberattacks and homegrown violent extremists inspired to carry out attacks in support of foreign terrorist organizations that Iran supports," the DHS said in a statement.

Anyone who sees suspicious activity or is aware of an attack plan in New Jersey is asked to contact the NJOHSP’s Counter-Threat Watch Unit by calling 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ (1-866-472-3365) or emailing tips@njohsp.gov.

More New Jersey law enforcement groups issue warnings

On Monday afternoon, the prosecutors for Morris and Essex counties issued statements asking New Jersey residents to remain vigilant.

They've also increased law enforcement presence at critical infrastructure and houses of worship, particularly for Jewish and Muslim communities.

"We want to reassure this community that we are proactively working with local religious leaders to provide individual facility security hardening and confirming the necessary lines of communication to assure quick response to any situation potentially involving criminal misconduct," Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens said all residents should have heightened awareness.

"While there is no specific threat to our area at this time, we are especially concerned about keeping our synagogues, mosques, and churches safe. We remain in close communication with our federal, state, and local partners to monitor developments and ensure public safety," Stephens said.

(Includes material Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission)

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