Officials downplay risk of Iranian drone attacks off California after FBI memo

An FBI memo informing that Iran whitethorn effort to motorboat drones astatine California successful a seaborne "surprise attack" raised interest Wednesday — but instrumentality enforcement officials and homeland information experts person cautioned that it whitethorn not constituent to an contiguous threat.

Multiple U.S. and California instrumentality enforcement and quality officials archer CBS News determination is nary known, circumstantial menace underpinning the memo, which was issued a week agone and distributed to section instrumentality enforcement by the FBI's Los Angeles office.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said connected X: "While we are not alert of immoderate imminent threats astatine this time, we stay prepared for immoderate exigency successful our state."

The memo, which was obtained by CBS News connected Wednesday, stems from an evident extremity that surfaced anterior to the Iranian conflict.

It said the FBI received "unverified" accusation that aboriginal past month, Iran "allegedly aspired to behaviour a astonishment onslaught utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from an unidentified vas disconnected the seashore of the United States Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets successful California, successful the lawsuit that the US conducted strikes against Iran."

The memo added that the FBI had nary further accusation connected the imaginable "timing, method, target, oregon perpetrators."

The informing was issued respective days into the U.S. and Israel's warfare with Iran, prompting concerns that Iran could question to retaliate connected American soil. Some homeland information experts person pointed to the hazard of cyberattacks and to Iran's alleged past of murder-for-hire plots against dissidents based successful the U.S. and prominent American officials.

Samantha Vinograd, a CBS News contributor and erstwhile Department of Homeland Security adjunct caput for counterterrorism and menace protection, noted that the "Iranian authorities has a immense and divers arsenal of drones that it has deployed passim the Middle East."

Iran's retaliatory strikes connected U.S. subject bases successful the Middle East successful caller weeks person included drone attacks. The Iranian subject is known for its Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones.

Vinograd besides said the U.S. authorities has sought to forestall malicious drone enactment by cause cartels.

Warning is "unverified" and "not actionable," officials say

A California-based national instrumentality enforcement authoritative told CBS News the informing that was distributed past week astir Iranian drones "is not actionable."

"This is unverified," different national instrumentality enforcement authoritative told CBS News. "There has been nary accusation fixed connected the timing, source, method oregon people of immoderate specified attack... since then, we person seen nary further indications of this."

Another California instrumentality enforcement authoritative said: "All this means is we got this accusation and we privation to get it retired to instrumentality enforcement executives to marque definite they're up to velocity connected it. … There is perfectly thing much to it."

A instrumentality enforcement root acquainted with the substance told CBS News that the FBI regularly shares with section instrumentality enforcement immoderate quality that is gathered. The accusation suggesting that Iran whitethorn beryllium funny successful launching drone attacks successful California was a constituent among the accusation shared past week.

But the root said determination is nary known circumstantial threat. 

The FBI and the White House did not remark to CBS News connected the memo.

Vinograd said: "We person nary denotation that the FBI was sharing accusation connected an imminent threat."

"It is modular operating process — and prudent — for the FBI to stock accusation with its partners to guarantee partners are alert of the broader menace landscape," she said. "Context connected credibility and imminence is adjuvant arsenic a portion of these accusation sharing mechanisms."

Jeff Harp, a erstwhile FBI peculiar agent, said successful an interview with CBS News that "there is simply a directive to over-communicate with each the antithetic agencies retired there" astir imaginable threats.

"If they person immoderate inkling that determination is accusation retired there, they're going to broadcast it," helium said. "It doesn't person to beryllium 100% accurate. But what they privation to get retired determination is astatine slightest a informing to marque definite that determination is immoderate mentation and announcement that goes out."

Officials successful California person said they are vigilant but aren't alert of immoderate contiguous threats.

In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department said: "At this time, determination are nary known oregon circumstantial threats to Los Angeles." It added that it "continues to show planetary events and immoderate imaginable related threats that could interaction Los Angeles."

Newsom's bureau told CBS News the memo was "one of galore information updates the authorities receives from national partners regular and disseminates to section instrumentality enforcement and exigency responders."

Katie Nielsen contributed to this report.