DHS briefs Polis, governors on heightened terrorism threat after Iran bombing

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Sunday warning of possible cyber attacks and violence, including antisemitic hate crimes, following U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

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DENVER (KDVR) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Sunday warning of possible cyber attacks and violence, including antisemitic hate crimes, following U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that he, alongside other governors, was briefed by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about the bulletin on Sunday.

Colorado officials react to U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites

"The State of Colorado is not aware of any Colorado-specific threats at this time. I have directed our state to coordinate closely with local and federal partners to protect our safety by monitoring and tracking any potential threats to Coloradans and our state’s infrastructure and military assets," Polis wrote on Facebook.

He also clarified in a comment that the Colorado National Guard has not been activated.

DHS said there are “no specific credible threats against the homeland,” but noted the Iranian government has condemned the U.S. action.

“A heightened threat environment across the United States” is expected to last throughout the summer, the bulletin said.

"The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland," DHS stated in its bulletin. "Multiple recent Homeland terrorist attacks have been motivated by anti-Semitic or anti-Israel sentiment, and the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could contribute to US-based individuals plotting additional attacks."

On June 1, Mohamed Sabry Soliman drove from Colorado Springs to Boulder where he threw Molotov cocktails on demonstrators calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, injuring at least 15 people. Soliman has called himself anti-Zionist, but he is facing a federal hate crime charge and has been called antisemitic by a variety of officials across the nation.

Denver sues after Trump administration freezes large-scale security threat funds

Also in June, the city and county of Denver filed suit against the Trump administration after funding for a counterterrorism program was frozen. The grant program is called Securing the Cities, and Denver said that, among other uses, the funding has been used to conduct security sweeps and monitor critical infrastructure during high-profile visits to Denver, such as President Joe Biden’s visit to Denver in November 2023 or President Trump’s October 2024 rally in Aurora.

“National security is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s an American one, and losing this funding makes America less safe,” said Mayor Mike Johnston in a city release on June 16. “You wouldn’t think we would need to go to federal court to explain why it’s important to protect citizens from terrorism, but here we are.”

It's unclear if the funding will be reinstituted now that a national terrorism bulletin has been issued.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.