FBI Director Christopher Wray warned lawmakers Wednesday that terrorists using drones to carry out attacks is the next ‘imminent’ threat.
“I think we do know that terrorist organizations have an interest in using drones,” he said during a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing.
“We’ve seen that overseas already with growing frequency. I think the expectation is that it’s coming here imminently. I think they are relatively easy to acquire, relatively easy to operate, and quite difficult to disrupt and monitor,” Wray added.
Nicholas Rasmussen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, also testified about the threat from drones.
“Two years ago this was not a problem. A year ago it was an emerging problem. Now it’s a real problem. So we’re quickly trying to up our game,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen explained that counterterrorism agencies are working to understand the tactics and techniques terror groups may use when carrying out drone attacks.
“That could be dropping small explosives the size of a grenade. It could be dispersal of toxins, potentially,” Rasmussen said. "Sharing that information is the first step. The next step is thinking about true defensive measures."
Earlier this year Michael Waltz, a former U.S. Army Special Forces commander, warned the U.S. simply isn't prepared to confront the threat.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re ready right now,” he told Fox News. “We don’t have the technology – both the detection technology and the counter-measure technology – in place yet."
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