Homeland Security Issues Alert To Law Enforcement: “Illicit Actors” Could Commit Anti-Lockdown Violence

ABC News reports:

Stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements have sparked some violence in the United States, and it could continue under further restrictions, according to a new federal report obtained by ABC News from analysts at the Department of Homeland Security Counterterrorism Mission Center.

“A variety of illicit actors are responding violently to stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures in place due to COVID-19, and we assess both public and private authority figures and essential workers are at highest risk of being targeted, particularly as the pandemic persists,” the DHS reported in the notice issued to law enforcement.

“Even as parts of the country begin lifting some of these measures, some illicit actors probably will view any continued state-mandated orders as government overreach, and probably also will serve as a driving factor behind continued violent incidents related to the pandemic.”