DHS updated terror bulletin over online calls for violence days before ‘bomb’ threat

Days before US Capitol Police identified an alleged “bomb” threat at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, the US Department of Homeland Security updated its advisory system to reflect the state of conspiracy theory- and political and culture war-related violence that has proliferated online.

The latest update from the National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin warns that “domestic terrorists” as well as “individuals and groups engaged in grievance-based violence” or “motivated by foreign terrorists and other malign foreign influences” are “increasingly exploiting online forums to influence and spread violent extremist narratives and promote violent activity.”

On 19 August, Capitol Police responded to an “active bomb threat investigation” to determine whether a truck parked near the US government building carried an explosive device.