LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — U.S. officials are warning of possible retaliation by hackers or extremists already in the country following bombings of Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
The U.S. Department Homeland Security reported that since the weekend, at least 11 Iranian nationals illegally in the U.S. have been detained, including a person with admitted ties to Hezbollah, a suspected terrorist and an alleged former sniper for the Iranian army.
WATCH | Counterterrorism expert weighs in on the concerns here at home
"That's where I feel the focus of federal law enforcement, especially in the immigration realm, needs to really be focused on — is the terrorism threats. Threats from terrorist states, threats from cartel members, violent drug trafficking organizations," Ashton Packe said.
Packe is a private investigator and former detective with experience in the counterterrorism section of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The Las Vegas FBI office told me they are working closely with local law enforcement, too.
"There's a fairly robust intelligence plan and federal law enforcement tends to be very good and savvy at picking up those individuals through myriad techniques and things that are classified top secret. I mean, there's just all kinds of things that the federal government has access to as far as technology," Packe said.
He says sleeper cells aren't his main concern locally.
"The threat is not ever a zero. Me personally, I'm far more worried about that lone individual we saw here [on] 1 October, the horrific attack created by just one lone angry individual. So that's where my concern is," Packe said.
DHS states the conflict could influence hate crimes targeting Jewish, pro-Israel or U.S. government or military personnel.
RELATED | FBI warns of spike in antisemitic threats as Jewish community in Las Vegas remains vigilant
"Incidents doubled over the past month, reported incidents of graffiti vandalism," Stefanie Tuzman said.
Tuzman from Jewish Nevada told me they were already spending a substantial amount of money on more security at Jewish facilities locally.
The FBI and local law enforcement urge anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it.
When asked about Fourth of July being around the corner and the worry of threats, Packe says Metro is well prepared for major events, and Las Vegas may be one of the safest places.
RELATED | Former CIA officer comments on fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire after overnight conflict
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
