US EditionIran May Have Activated ‘Sleeper Cells’ to Carry Out Attacks Around the Globe, US Officials Say
Encrypted broadcasts believed to be from Iran may activate sleeper cells as retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes, prompting federal alerts and increased law enforcement vigilance.
- On March 9, 2026, U.S. law enforcement agencies intercepted an encrypted shortwave transmission likely of Iranian origin, prompting a federal alert urging heightened watch for sleeper assets.
- Beginning Feb. 28, U.S. Cyber Command participated in operations that disrupted Iranian internet access to between 1% and 4%, following strikes and reports of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death.
- Amid broadcasts, U.K. detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London questioned four men held until March 13, with Plitsas saying, 'And as we like to say in the business, you know one time is an instance, two times a coincidence, three times is hostile enemy action.'
- Law enforcement was ordered to increase radio-frequency monitoring as agencies maintain heightened situational awareness, while the Joint Terrorism Task Force and FBI actively pursue leads with international partners.
- Officials warn Iran may use proxies like Hezbollah and cyberattacks to retaliate, citing past DOJ‑charged plots offering $300,000 for assassinations amid heightened alert since Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28.
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70 Articles
The United States has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran and could be used as a trigger for sleeper cells abroad, according to a warning issued to U.S. intelligence agencies by the federal government in recent days, ABC News reported.
Iran Sleeper Cells ‘Activated’; Threaten To “Eliminate” Trump
US intelligence intercepts reveal Iran may be triggering covert operatives abroad, as Tehran issues direct warnings to President Trump following the airstrike death of its former supreme leader. U.S. intelligence has intercepted an encrypted message from Iran that appears to be an “operational trigger” for sleeper cells embedded in foreign countries, raising alarms about potential attacks. This development comes amid ongoing conflict, with Iran’…
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Iran’s threats on US soil: sleeper cells, lone wolves, cyberattacks and eerie numbers code
With U.S. and Israeli forces continuing offensive strikes on Iran, federal counterterrorism authorites are warning that the desperate theocracy could launch retaliatory strikes on American soil using sleeper cells, affiliated Iranian terrorist groups, lone wolf sympathizers or targeted cyberattacks.
A Mysterious Signal Transfixes Radio Sleuths -- And Intelligence Experts
The mysterious Persian-language transmission began about 12 hours after the start of the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. It was jammed five days later. Is it a coded message for US agents in Iran? Iranian sleeper cells? Israeli operatives? That’s what experts are trying to decipher.
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