The FBI late Sunday warned that Saturday’s shooting massacre in El Paso that left 20 people dead could prompt other violent acts of extremism in the future.
The shooting is being investigated as an act of domestic terror and authorities are considering pursuing hate crime charges against the suspected shooter.
The suspect, Patrick Crusius, allegedly killed 20 people and injured more than two dozen others after he shot up a Walmart. Authorities are currently investigating whether Crusius wrote a racist manifesto online ranting against a so-called “Hispanic invasion.”
“The attack in El Paso, Texas, underscores the continued threat posed by domestic violent extremists and perpetrators of hate crimes,” the FBI said in an official statement.
“The FBI remains concerned that U.S.-based domestic violent extremists could become inspired by these and previous high-profile attacks to engage in similar acts of violence,” the agency also said. “The FBI asks the American public to report to law enforcement any suspicious activity that is observed either in person or online.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray offered his “sincere condolences” to the victims and their families in the statement.
“We will bring the full resources of the FBI to bear in the pursuit of justice for the victims of these crimes,” he said.
Wray had previously alerted Congress to his agency’s comparatively high rates of domestic terrorist arrests this year that were linked to white supremacy.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has downplayed the rising level of white nationalism in the country, saying he “doesn’t really” think it’s a threat.
