FBI working with law enforcement after former Hamas leader urges Muslims to protest Israel
The FBI said it was working with law enforcement across the country in response to a call by former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for all Muslims to join the battle against Israel and to head to the streets on Friday and protest in support of Palestinians.
In a recorded statement sent to Reuters, Meshaal is heard saying, “[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday.”
Meshaal is currently based in Qatar and heads Hamas’s diaspora office.
“The FBI is aware of open-source reports about calls for global action on Friday, October 13th that may lead to demonstrations in communities throughout the United States,” the FBI said Thursday. “We are working closely with our law enforcement partners across the country to share information and identify and disrupt any threats that may emerge.”
The agency urged the public to report anything suspicious to authorities.
In his statement, Meshaal told Muslims that the people and government officials in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have a responsibility to support Palestinians, as the vast majority of Palestinian refugees call Jordan and Lebanon home.
“Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan…This is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility,” he said.