The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have urged members of the military to expunge their social media accounts of information that could make them targets for "violent" lone-wolf extremists.
In a joint intelligence bulletin issued on Sunday, the two federal agencies warned that the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) was attempting to radicalize Americans on U.S. soil, who might then seek out data on the identity and movements of military personnel leading to possible attacks,
Fox News reported.
"Individuals overseas are spotting and assessing like-minded individuals who are willing and capable of conducting attacks against current and former U.S.-based members of the United States military," the bulletin said.
"The FBI and DHS recommend that current and former members of the military review their online social media accounts for any information that might serve to attract the attention of ISIL and its supporters."
The warning, which was sent to law enforcement agencies, also advised that troops "routinely exercise operational security in their interactions online."
The agencies said they feared copycat attacks following the recent incidents in Canada, in which two uniformed soldiers were killed in separate cases by self-radicalized young men who claimed to be followers of the Islamic State.
The attacks appeared to have been carried out with online information without any direct contact from ISIS leaders in Iraq and Syria, according to Fox News. For months, ISIS has urged Muslims in the U.S. and Europe to conduct violent attacks on American military personnel.
The FBI and DHS warned that the lone-wolf attacks in Canada might "embolden" and "motivate" people in the U.S. who support the Islamic State,
Good Morning America reported.
Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby told ABC News that the military is urging service members to be careful and not telling them to stop using social media altogether.
"We certainly do know that [ISIS] monitors social media," Kirby said. "I think there’s a general understanding here that this is an environment that this particular enemy has proven adept at using and we don't want to give them any more advantage than they're already trying to gain."
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