An internal NYPD memo is warning about possible IED and vehicle attacks targeting police. The NYPD has been on the alert for weeks for possible attacks similar to Fridayâs deliberate RV explosion in Nashville. 2021 could be another long and bloody year for law enforcement.
Domestic terrorists targeting police
The December 14 NYPD memo warned that law enforcement were the âpriority targetsâ for terror attacks involving homemade bombs and vehicle arson. It went on to say that violent extremists and malicious criminal actors might go after cops to exacerbate tensions, exploit civil unrest and incite further violence.
The document referenced Al-Qaeda propaganda released on November 26 that urged radical jihadists to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to attack âpriority targets.â Those targets included retired officers, business leaders, intelligence personnel and âsoldiers and police of every brand.â Suggested attack methods were stones, weights, edged weapons, as well as improvised explosive devices and the arson of commercial buildings and vehicles.
OFFICERS UNDER ATTACK: Police across the country are on edge after another weekend of violent riots leaves one officer dead and several others hurt. Former NYPD Detectives, @bigricanman and Dr. Oscar Odom weigh in. https://t.co/YPuzkiUrSe
— Fox & Friends First (@FoxFriendsFirst) August 31, 2020
Downtown Nashville RV explosion
Authorities havenât yet released a motive for the RV bomb in Nashville, but retired NYPD detective Bill Ryan told reporters that he wouldnât rule out first responders and police officers as the intended targets. âYou have to really wonder what the motivation of the bombers are. I donât think this was one person. It was probably an organized group of people,â Ryan said.
Nashville cops responding to reports of shots fired in the cityâs downtown area were drawn instead to the RV, which played a recording that said a bomb would go off within 15 minutes. Officers began banging on doors and helping to get residents to safety when the vehicle exploded, injuring three people.
âI kind of think it was probably an idea to get first responders to come in,â said Ryan, who was part of an arson and explosions task force.âThey give them a 15-minute warning and all the first responders, the police and the firemen come in, possibly making them prime targets of the bomb.â
NYPD warns of more violence
The NYPD memo said that a review of terrorism acts in the US this year highlighted the use of homemade bombs and incendiary devices, as well as vehicles, to strike law enforcement. It included a graphic illustration of neo-Nazi propaganda showing a uniformed cop getting his throat sliced by a masked ISIS-style executioner.
The doc also referenced the knife and gun attack on two NYPD officers during a Black Lives Matter riot in June, allegedly by an ISIS-supporting Bosnian radical, to underscore the real world threat from online propaganda. The department assessed that those intent on attacking on and off-duty cops could take advantage of officers performing their regular duties and large-scale events to make a statement and quickly inflict damage.