New FBI warning: Lone-wolf attacks during Fourth of July celebrations are difficult to prevent; agency cites Waukesha and Highland Park as examples

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (WLS) – With July 4 approaching, it is very difficult to prevent lone-wolf violence during Independence Day celebrations, according to federal authorities.

It’s been years since Chicago actually hosted a fireworks display on the Fourth of July. The Navy Pier fireworks display is Wednesday night. But there are dozens of fireworks displays in the suburbs and many events in the city this holiday weekend that require protection from law enforcement.

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Even though it was a different time of year, the 2021 Christmas parade attack in Waukesha, Wisconsin, tops the FBI’s list of threats regarding vehicle ramming attacks at public Fourth of July events.

Six people were killed and 62 were injured.

At parades in the Chicago area, Department of Homeland Security officials also point to a growing threat from drones used as weapons and violent extremists seeking political or societal advantage.

“I don’t know if the presidential election is as much related to this as the situation in Israel and Gaza. The Israeli-Palestinian issue, where there has been discord on college campuses, where there have been a lot of protests and where violence seems to be increasing. That aspect would worry me more than anything else,” said Bill Kushner, police consultant at ABC7 Chicago.

Law enforcement concerns are reflected in three recent U.S. threat assessments.

Kushner said the public may have become desensitized by all the warnings.

“If you remember, six, seven years ago, ‘If you see something, say something’ was a big public relations campaign by the federal government and local communities. That’s kind of died down, and that’s unfortunate because as law enforcement professionals, law enforcement relies on the general public as a force multiplier,” Kushner said.

The attack on the 2022 Highland Park Fourth of July parade is the FBI’s best example of “lone wolf” threats. On this day two years ago, a sniper fired 80 shots from a post, killing seven people and injuring dozens more.

“It’s considered a major problem because it’s the most recent. It’s the most recent lone-wolf attack,” Kushner told the I-Team.

The former Des Plaines police chief and longtime Chicago police commander said one of the things anyone who attends an event with large crowds this holiday weekend will be able to do is find an escape route if something does go wrong.

Federal officials also point to a more mundane security threat: cellphone pickpocketing. These crimes of opportunity have been committed at events like Lollapalooza in Chicago, where a group of 10 people were arrested for cellphone theft last summer.

In a statement to the I-Team, a Chicago FBI spokesperson said, “While it is our standard practice not to comment on specific intelligence products, the FBI regularly shares information with our law enforcement partners to help protect the communities they serve. The FBI urges the public to be vigilant and report anything they believe to be suspicious to law enforcement by contacting 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or tips.fbi.gov.”