Iran attack on Israel prompts police response in D.C., Los Angeles, New York City

Police departments in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C., published alerts saying they are closely monitoring Iran’s attack on Israel and committed to safeguarding houses of worship.

The major metropolitan police departments all said there were no credible threats in their jurisdictions in statements posted Saturday evening on X.

The Metropolitan Police Department “is closely monitoring events in the Middle East,” D.C. police posted. “Currently, there are no credible threats in D.C. MPD will pay special attention to religious institutions and houses of worship and will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to maintain safety and security in D.C.”

Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles toward Israel on Saturday in retaliation for an April 1 Israeli airstrike on a diplomatic outpost in Syria that killed several Iranian military officials. Israeli officials said the country’s air defenses thwarted the large majority of the Iranian barrage.

U.S. officials have taken steps to thwart Iran-backed activities from spreading to America in recent months.

Last month, the FBI’s Miami field office published an alert saying Iranian intelligence officer Majid Dastjani Farahani was wanted for his role in allegedly recruiting “individuals for operations in the U.S., to include lethal targeting of current/former [U.S. government] officials.”

In January, the Department of Justice indicted an Iranian man for his role in allegedly conspiring to murder Maryland residents. The Justice Department said the targets of the plot had fled from Iran, and the Treasury Department said the Iranian network operated at the behest of Tehran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

Los Angeles is home to a large community of Iranian immigrants, and the city’s police department is eager to let people know it is on guard for public safety problems.

“The LAPD is closely monitoring the developments between Iran and Israel,” the police department posted. “While there are no credible threats to Los Angeles at this time, we are committed to ensuring safeguards to houses of worship and sensitive areas throughout all communities in Los Angeles.”

America’s Jewish community is also on edge, and U.S. officials are on the lookout for threats to Jewish people and institutions.

In January, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned of bomb threats targeting synagogues and Jewish community centers, schools and other sites. The FBI said in January it had opened investigations into more than 100 threats in the preceding month, with the largest category of threatened institutions being synagogues and Jewish community centers.

The threats came from obscured digital messages, and federal officials identified no explosive devices or actual attempts to cause explosions in connection to the purported threats, the FBI and the DHS said at the time.

New York City is a hub for the Jewish community, and the police there say they are paying close attention to the attack on Israel for fallout in the U.S.

“The NYPD continues to closely monitor recent events in Israel,” the New York Police Department posted. “While there are no credible threats to NYC at this time, we will continue to deploy resources to houses of worship and sensitive locations throughout the city.”

The NYPD also said it would continue working with law enforcement partners, houses of worship and others in the community as part of this effort to keep people safe.