TheTrump administrationallegedly suppressed a joint FBI, DHS and National Counterterrorism Centre intelligence bulletin warning of elevated terror threats on American soil, not to protect classified sources, but to protect its own political standing.

The United States and Israel launchedOperation Epic Furyon Feb. 28, 2026, killingIranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiand triggering sweeping retaliation across the Middle East.

In the days that followed, senior officials from the FBI, theDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS)and theNational Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC)moved to release a joint public safety bulletin alerting state and local law enforcement to a sharply heightened threat environment at home. According to aDaily Mail investigation, the White House intercepted that bulletin before it could be sent — and ordered it placed on hold.

According to a senior DHS official cited in the report, the bulletin documented threats against US military and government personnel, Jewish and Israeli institutions, Iranian dissidents and anti-regime activists operating on American soil. It also warned that radicalised individuals motivated by a range of ideological backgrounds might view the conflict as justification for violence.

The three agencies were preparing a joint release on a Friday when DHS, breaking with standard procedure, chose to inform the White House ahead of publication. That decision — described as having been made against the explicit wishes of FBI leadership — gave senior Trump officials the window they needed to act. Top officials ordered the bulletin placed on hold. The White House then directed DHS that any unclassified, 'for official use only' material concerning Iran must be reviewed by the White House before dissemination of any kind.

White House blocks intelligence report warning of rising US homeland terror threat linked to Iran warhttps://t.co/odKLaMVIkv

'The White House is now inserting themselves,' the senior DHS official told the Daily Mail. 'This can have a chilling effect on keeping state and local law enforcement informed about ongoing terrorist threats to the homeland posed by Iran.' The official alleged that the motivation was openly political, saying the administration did not want anything released suggesting that actions in Iran were raising the threat level at home.

Contacted for comment, the White House did not deny suppressing the bulletin, according to the Daily Mail's report. The FBI and DHS also did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.

The concern behind the blocked bulletin was far from hypothetical. TheCouncil on Foreign Relations, in an analysis published on March 5, 2026, noted that DHS had separately warned of potential lone-wolf attacks and cyberattacks following the strikes and that state and local authorities had already moved to a heightened posture. The CFR also raised questions about whether DHS, which had redirected significant resources towards immigration enforcement during the Trump administration, still had the counterterrorism capacity to respond effectively.

That capacity question became more pressing following aCNN reportpublished on March 3, 2026, which revealed that FBI Director Kash Patel had dismissed a dozen agents and staff from CI-12, the Washington DC-based counterintelligence unit responsible for monitoring Iranian threats, just days beforeOperation Epic Furylaunched.

Source: International Business Times UK