ISIS calls for 'lone wolf' terror attacks on relief centers housing hurricane victims

The Department of Homeland Security's Southeast Bureau has warned that the Islamic State terror group is using social media to call on its sympathizers to carry out "lone wolf" attacks on relief centers housing people who are affected by recent hurricanes in the U.S.

"On Sept. 11, there was a twitter posting that appears to be authored by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that threatens Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami and Las Vegas," a document from Homeland Security stated, as reported by CNBC.

The confidential "situation awareness" document, dated Sept. 14, was reportedly sent by the Homeland Security Bureau's Southeast Florida Fusion Center to law enforcement and "homeland security communities." It also pointed to a Newsweek article that cited an ISIS posting that called for attacks on Houston relief centers.

"To all the (lone mujahids) in the U.S. (warrior), pop down to Houston and drop in at any of the relief centers housing displaced people from the Houston floods, make sure to bring lots of supplies/gadgets/toys to see if you can help put any (unbeliever) out of their misery," the posting read.

Houston was severely damaged after Hurricane Harvey made landfall as a category 5 storm in Texas at the end of August, killing at least 70 people.

The posts were made as Hurricane Irma, a category 5 storm at the time, was battering Cuba and making its way to Florida. At least 18 people were reportedly killed after the storm ravaged through the Caribbean islands.

The document also cited another posting in which a jihadist described the hurricane in Florida as an "international tragedy" on American soil. The post, which includes a hurricane emoji, quotes Allah as saying that a "roaring wind in the days of the snakes" had been sent.

Other jihadists said that the natural disasters were a form of payback for U.S.'s foreign policy. A social media user, whose name is given as Abu Jandal, said that the disasters were "revenge" for the people of the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, which were besieged by U.S.-backed ground forces.

An analyst commented in the document that the ISIS posts were likely "more aspirational than operational," with the hopes that followers of the group would act on the calls for attacks. The terror expert further warned against the potential dangers from lone wolf attackers, noting that a single individual can carry out a lethal knife attack with little or no training.