FBI Deputy Director Chris Wray said in an interview aired Thursday on Fox News that advanced attack drones, already seen on battlefields abroad, are likely to reach the United States soon. He said the most worrying threat is no longer a large terrorist network but a lone attacker who can operate a drone remotely. "I worry less about a mass-casualty attack like 9/11 and more about a single terrorist," he said.
Wray said commercially available technology is lowering the barrier to carrying out destructive attacks. The next generation of drones, he warned, could use cellular networks such as 5G and LTE instead of short-range radio links, meaning distance would no longer protect targets. "That means someone in China can control a drone over New Orleans," he said, adding that this makes it much harder for FBI investigators to identify operators and stop attacks in advance.
He pointed to a recently exposed plot involving a group that allegedly planned to use explosive-laden drones to trigger mass evacuation at a UFC event at the White House. Investigators found the suspects were exchanging encrypted messages about buying drones and specialized equipment. The FBI is also in the middle of one of the largest security operations in U.S. history around the FIFA World Cup.
According to Wray, the bureau has already seized more than 300 drones and made eight arrests linked to unauthorized drone activity during the tournament. He said encrypted communications remain a major obstacle for investigators, calling it "a gap for us." In the UFC case, he said the probe was helped by an unusually lucky break, when a worried mother reported her son and led authorities to the encrypted planning network.
