Federal officials are warning U.S. military members to scrub their social media accounts of any material that could make them a target for the Islamic State, the most recent in a series of alerts about potential attacks against service members.
The warning was sent Sunday in a joint bulletin by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement and homeland security sources confirmed to Fox News.
The bulletin said the FBI had information suggesting “individuals overseas are spotting and assessing like-minded individuals who are willing and capable of conducting attacks against current and former U.S.-based members of the United States military."
The agencies expressed concern about attacks similar to those in Canada in which two uniformed soldiers were killed in separate incidents by purported followers of the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS. The attacks appeared to have been planned with online information and no direct contact with Islamic State leaders, who already have urged Muslims in the U.S. and Europe to attack service members.
In October, the U.S. government issued two similar warnings, as reported by Fox News.
The Army first issued a bulletin after Islamic State militants called on supporters to scour social media for addresses of U.S. military personnel and to “show up [at their homes] and slaughter them."
And the Pentagon warned employees about being a target for potential, quick-strike terror attacks. The advisory told employees to take such precautions as changing travel routes, removing identifiable logos and not posting anything online that would link them to the Defense Department.
The Pentagon said the potential attacks could occur with “little-or-no advanced warning” and that employees’ family members also could be targeted.
