President Donald Trump confirms federal investigators are examining threats of Iranian sleeper cells in the United States and a potential drone revenge attack aimed at California.
Intercepted Communications Spark Concerns
Authorities intercepted encrypted messages from Iran on Monday, serving as an operational trigger for sleeper assets. The FBI subsequently warned California law enforcement about possible Iranian drone strikes on the West Coast in retaliation for ongoing U.S. military actions against Iran.
Trump’s Response to Reporters
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews after an event in Kentucky, Trump stated, “It’s being investigated. You have a lot of things happening and all we can do is take them as they come.”
He attributed the potential presence of sleeper cells to prior immigration policies, saying, “A lot of people came in through Biden with his stupid open border. But we know where most of them are. We’ve got our eye on all of them, I think.” Trump described former President Joe Biden as “the worst president in the history of our country.”
Trump also highlighted progress in the conflict, noting, “Iran is being absolutely decimated. We’ve knocked out all of their boats. I think we’re in very good shape.”
FBI Alert Details
The FBI bulletin indicates Iran sought to launch a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. coast, targeting sites in California if the U.S. struck Iran. Officials added, “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”
Political Obstacles Cited
Trump blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats for a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, claiming it hampers responses. “One of the things we have to do is get the Democrats to stop the Democrat shutdown because, as you know, the apparatus that looks into that, Schumer and the Democrats have shut it down,” he said, adding that the move suggests Democrats “probably hate our country a lot.”
Broader Threat Context
Iran relies heavily on drone warfare for retaliation in the Middle East. Mexican drug cartels have increased drone use near the U.S. border, with a September government bulletin warning of potential strikes on American law enforcement and military personnel. Officials view such cartel actions as plausible escalations.
Iran maintains a vast underground network of tunnels stocked with drones and rockets, raising concerns about forward-deployed capabilities.
Related Cyber Offensive
Iran-linked group Handala claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Michigan-based medical technology firm Stryker, causing a global outage affecting thousands of employees. The group stated on Telegram it wiped over 200,000 systems and extracted 50 terabytes of data in response to U.S. strikes on Iran and other actions.
Stryker, which employs about 53,000 people worldwide and operates in over 100 countries, specializes in joint replacements, robotic surgery, and neurotechnology. Handala described the operation as a success, targeting what it called assaults on the ‘Axis of Resistance.’
