The United States is facing increased threats from many countries at a time when law enforcement agencies are struggling, said FBI Director Christopher Wray, quoted by the Associated Press . In an exclusive interview for the agency, he added that "he can hardly think of a time in his career when so many different types of threats were growing at the same time”, BTA reported.
"I worry about the combination of so many threats emerging at once with the challenges facing the men and women in law enforcement more generally,” said Ray. "And the one thing that I think helps overcome those two challenges is partnership. This is how we cope. This is done by everyone working together,'' Ray said.
The FBI director's assessment of the increased threat level is consistent with the alarming signals he has been issuing for months, AP notes. Shortly after the attack by "Hamas" in Israel on Oct. 7, Ray began warning that it could serve as an inspiration for militants, "the likes of which we have not seen since the "Islamic State" started his so-called caliphate years ago".
The FBI is also struggling to address security concerns on the US southern border, with officials revealing in June that eight people from Tajikistan with alleged ties to the "Islamic State” were arrested and detained for immigration violations.
Officials are also dealing with the specter of foreign election interference.
Wray declined to talk about any specific investigation or threat, but said that investigations into cyberattacks, including those against election infrastructure, candidates or campaigns, require help from the private sector.
"One of the things we're doubling down on every day is partnership, because at the end of the day it's about being able to connect the dots, whether it's a threat to influence elections or any other kind of threat,'' he said. Ray. "Partners need to share information with each other to connect the two parts to see the bigger picture.“
In the AP interview, the FBI director also noted that on average, a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty every five days.
Wray said the FBI is working to strengthen traditional partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies, while forging others with business and academia to help counter threats to cybersecurity or intellectual property. In Minneapolis and other offices, he said, authorities are working with school officials and mental health professionals to help at-risk teens in hopes of preventing future threats.
Working with industry is important to protect innovation and artificial intelligence from foreign threats, Ray added.
"In many ways, artificial intelligence (AI) is the most effective tool against the use of artificial intelligence by the bad guys,” said the FBI director. "So we need to work closely with industry to try to help make sure that American AI can be used to help protect the American people from AI-powered threats coming from the other side ."