President Donald Trump said during a press conference at Joint Base Andrews that U.S. officials have identified the locations of suspected Iranian sleeper cell operatives and are monitoring them as military operations continue in the Middle East.
Trump made the remarks while discussing developments related to Operation Epic Fury, saying the government is keeping close watch on individuals believed to be connected to potential covert networks.
“Have you been briefed about how many Iran sleeper cells there could be inside the U.S. right now?” a reporter asked Wednesday.
“I have been,” the president said. “And 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. They came in through the open border policies of sleepy Joe Biden, one of the worst, the worst president in the history of our country. And we’ve got our eyes on all of them. But the war itself is being prosecuted at a level that nobody’s seen before. It’s pretty amazing to watch.”
The president’s response comes after U.S. intelligence officials intercepted an encrypted message believed to have originated from the Iranian government and allegedly intended to signal sleeper cells operating in Western countries.
Since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, two separate security incidents have occurred in the United States. In one case, a mass shooting in Austin, Texas, was carried out by a suspect who authorities said was wearing a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah.” In another incident over the weekend in New York City, an 18-year-old man who investigators said had pledged allegiance to ISIS was arrested after allegedly throwing an improvised explosive device into a crowd of protesters.
It’s not clear if the attacks are linked to the Iranian government – what remains of it.
This comes after the FBI warned California law enforcement that Iran may attempt to launch attack drones towards the West Coast in retaliation for U.S. military operations in Iran.