FBI and Homeland Security address threats to homeland, Wisconsin woman called out for praising terrorists

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A recent X social media post calls on members of the public to identify the woman in a now-viral video praising Hamas terrorists. Several replies from across the globe wrote, “Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.”

On Monday, the Wisconsin Law Journal reached out to Kayla Goodwin, the alleged author of the social media post. She could not be reached for comment prior to publication.

Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Public Service Announcement last week to highlight potential threats in the United States from a variety of actors in response to the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 and subsequent activities in the region, including additional calls by foreign terrorist organizations to their supporters seeking to foment violence in the West.

This alert serves as an update to the Oct. 10 FBI and DHS Public Service Announcement and the Oct. 18 FBI, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and DHS Joint Intelligence Bulletin to law enforcement partners, officials noted.

“This announcement reflects a fluid and evolving situation; the terrorism threat in the Homeland has remained heightened throughout 2023, but recent events have increased the possibility of potential attacks against individuals and institutions in response to developments in the Middle East,” officials said.

“Since DHS and FBI issued the October 10th Public Service Announcement, the volume and frequency of threats to Americans, especially those in the Jewish, Arab American, and Muslim communities in the United States, have increased, raising our concern that violent extremists and lone offenders motivated by or reacting to ongoing events could target these communities. These threats have included hoax bomb threats targeting houses of worship and violent rhetoric online encouraging attacks against the Jewish, Arab American, and Muslim communities across the United States,” officials noted.

Officials specifically referenced how on Oct. 14 an individual in Illinois stabbed and killed a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child and severely wounded his mother, an incident that is being investigated as an anti-Muslim hate crime.

However, the fatal stabbing of a Jewish Synagogue president outside of her Michigan home on Oct. 21 has been determined not to be a hate crime, officials said.

An X (formerly known as Twitter) account Stop Antisemites has been posting several incidents daily.

In an Oct. 30, 2023, post, a video shows a woman (who some have identified as Goodwin) saying she doesn’t condemn the terrorists and goes on further to say she supports the liberation efforts of Palestine “by any means necessary.” Recently headlines have shown the murder, kidnapping and beheading of Jewish women and children by Hamas.

On the other side, Palestinians have accused Israelis of violating the Geneva Convention by committing war crimes, such as targeting civilians and cutting off water and power. They also claimed Israel was responsible for the bombing of a Palestinian hospital. 

President Joe Biden posted excerpts from his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Sunday, noting that Israel has a responsibility to defend its citizens from terrorism “in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law, which prioritizes the protection of civilians.”

About 50 miles to the north of Twin Lakes, Watertown, Wisconsin, made headlines this past Summer.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, Gov. Tony Evers condemned Nazis who protested an LGBTQ-focused “Pride in the Park” event. According to the Watertown Daily Times, a “dozen men sporting black tops and khaki pants, face coverings and sunglasses” appeared at an annual Watertown LGBTQ pride event and “waved flags bearing the swastika symbol, gave the Nazi salute to onlookers and yelled homophobic rhetoric.”

In August, the governor released the following statement:

“This is a disgusting and direct attack on our state’s LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites,” said Evers. “Nazis, swastikas, and any other anti-LGBTQ, white supremacist, or anti-Semitic messages, symbols, or groups are unacceptable and unwelcome in Wisconsin. Period.”

Meanwhile in October, several others, including a Minnesota man, were called out for their hateful remarks, including several health care providers, one of whom says, “Jews control the media.”

Violence in the homeland

Well before the latest conflict in the Middle-East, Wisconsin has been no stranger to anti-semitic attacks.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, Yousef Barasneh, of Oak Creek, allegedly defaced a Michigan Jewish house of worship – Temple Jacob – with swastikas and symbols associated with The Base, a multi-state, white supremacist group, according to court documents obtained by The Wisconsin Law Journal. Barasneh also spray-painted anti-Semitic symbols and language on the building of Beth Israel Sinai Congregation, a Jewish synagogue, in Racine in 2019, according to the indictment.

Wisconsin Public Radio reported last year reports of anti-semitism in Wisconsin remain near record-high levels in a trend advocates call “very concerning.”

Last week law enforcement officials said, “while we have no specific information that foreign adversaries are plotting attacks against the homeland, some are seeking to take advantage of the conflict, calling for violence in furtherance of their respective goals.”

Authorities noted Oct. 13, al-Qaida media called for support to Hamas through attacks against American bases, airports, battleships and embassies in predominantly Muslim countries.

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, in the same region where the Boston Marathon bomber grew up, large crowds breached airport security and stormed the airport in Dagestan, Russia on Sunday as a flight attempted to land from Tel Aviv.

On Oct. 19, an ISIS media posting urged followers to “target the Jewish presence all over the world … especially Jewish neighborhoods in America and Europe,” and specifically encouraged attacks on Jewish temples, nightclubs, and economic interests and against “Jewish and Crusader” embassies, FBI officials said.

Iranian media outlets have issued and/or amplified various types of mis- and dis-information online about the conflict in ways that risk deepening resentment and evoking strong emotional responses among English-speaking audiences. These outlets are utilizing verifiably doctored or mislabeled images and video footage, inaccurate translations, and misleading content about the conflict with the apparent intent to stoke passions, accelerate the process of radicalization, and lead individuals to engage in targeted violence, officials noted.

Report any leads, threats, or suspected criminal activity, FBI and DHS urge the public to visit www.tips.fbi.gov or contact their local FBI Office: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/fieldoffices. For emergencies or an immediate threat to life, please call 911.

Always remember – If You See Something, Say Something® – Report suspicious activity and threats of violence, including online threats, to local law enforcement, FBI Field Offices, or your local Fusion Center.