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The American Hospital Association and the nonprofit Health ISAC (Information Sharing and Analytics Center) are warning of the potential threats of terrorists to US hospitals in the coming weeks.
On March 18, User @Axactual posted to X with details relating to an aggressive plan for coordinated multi-city terrorist attacks against US health sector organizations. Joint threat news.
The terrorist attacks on the hospital are reportedly attributed to ISIS-K, a division of the Islamic state of jihadist groups. HIPAA Journal. The post has been added to the X account of American Kinetics, claiming to be a US Christian company made up of JSOC (Joint Special Operations Order), the CIA and combat veterans, the HIPAA Journal said.
American Kinetix said it received reports of possible pre-attack surveillance at the hospital.
The post said chatter at Afghanistan’s ISIS-K training camp confirmed that the planning was at a sophisticated stage, said Hipaa Journal. According to the post, ISIS-K uses a vehicle-type improvised explosive device (VBIED) to use armed attack and hostage scenarios.
“Intelligence suggests that these attacks must occur before al-Qaeda’s planned aviation/DC attacks, and it is likely that the hospital will become a prelude to a large-scale operation,” the post explained.
The main target is middle cities with low security facilities, the Joint Threat Breaking News said. Information claiming multiple simultaneous targets could allow an attacker to select a health department facility with visible, weak security, and implement pre-planning coordination.
For individuals considering targeted violence, it is a common practice for conducting pre-attack surveillance and reconnaissance, the bulletin said. Having a visible security presence reduces the selection of targets during the planning stage of an attack.
Aha and Health-ISAC said they are sharing joint threat breaking news from a wealth of attention to the issue to spread awareness of potential threats. The AHA and Health-ISAC said they are in close contact with the FBI and will provide additional information when it becomes available.
At this time, there is no information to support or discount the threat’s reliability, the bulletin said.
“In general, foreign terrorist groups have not made public any future attacks,” AHA ​​and Health-ISAC said in the breaking news. “However, this widely viewed post may encourage others to engage in malicious activities directed at the health sector, so we need to take threats of this nature seriously. Security teams should review emergency management plans and spread awareness of potential threats internally.”
The group recommended that organizations review and evaluate coordination and capabilities of physical security, cybersecurity, and emergency management plans, and increase ties with local and federal law enforcement to streamline response efforts during the attack.
Additionally, staff and security teams should remain vigilant about suspicious activities and people and vehicles near the organization’s facilities and facilities in the health sector, the bulletin said. If there is, we recommend that you notify your local law enforcement immediately.
Email the writer: smorse@himss.org
