- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on Monday that she has issued a “high alert” regarding the potential for sleeper cell attacks throughout the United States.
The alert, which was announced during a U.S. House hearing, cautions state and local officials to remain vigilant for Iranian nationals who may attempt to carry out lone wolf-style terrorist attacks in retaliation for the U.S. bombing of nuclear enrichment facilities.
Despite the ceasefire agreement reached between Iran and Israel on Monday, Bondi indicated that it remains tenuous, and the likelihood of individual Iranian actors proceeding with an attack cannot be ruled out.
And I can tell you, we are on high alert, and everyone is monitoring that very closely,” Bondi stated.
Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) inquired whether the attorney general was aware of the number of Iranian nationals convicted of crimes currently residing in the U.S. Bondi responded that she was uncertain but noted that over 1,000 Iranian nationals entered the U.S. during the Biden-Harris administration.
According to U.S. Border Patrol, 1,504 Iranian nationals were arrested from 2021 to 2024. Nearly half of these individuals, specifically 729, were released into the U.S. while awaiting asylum hearings, as reported by Fox News.
Bondi’s comments come in the wake of an advisory from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which issued a “heightened alert” due to “a heightened threat environment in the United States.” DHS highlighted the risk of Iranian sleeper cell agents “independently mobilizing to violence” should Iranian leaders call for retaliation.
When asked by Gonzalez about the threat posed by so-called “sleeper cells,” Bondi stated that she would “not discuss that in this setting.”
