The Abridged version:
- Sacramento sheriff and police reported no credible threats were received regarding a potential Iranian military strike in California.
Following reports that the FBI warned of possible drone attacks from Iran on the West Coast, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper said his office received “no credible” threats made on the Sacramento region.
ABC News reported on Wednesday afternoon that the FBI warned police departments in California that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones, citing an alert that was reviewed by the news network.
The alert stated that as of early February “Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.” The ABC News report also details that there was no additional information on the timing, method, target or perpetrators of the alleged attack.
In response to the reporting, Cooper said that there was no reason for alarm in the Sacramento region.
Cooper more worried about a domestic attack
“There is no credible or legitimate threat,” Cooper told Abridged.
Cooper declined to comment on whether or not his office received an alert from the FBI warning of possible attacks.
“Everyone’s in heightened awareness with everything,” Cooper said. “I’d be more worried about a lone wolf attack.”
Cooper added that he was more worried about a domestic attack, rather than international threats.
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester did not respond to a request for comment. The Sacramento Police Department stated that it does not have any information on the FBI alerts at this time, in an email response through its public information office.
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.