California Gov. Gavin Newsom mentioned Wednesday there may be no “imminent threat” to the state following studies that federal authorities had alerted state officers of unverified claims by Iranian-affiliated actors needing to conduct potential drone attacks.
The FBI memo despatched to native legislation enforcement and officers in California contained unvetted and unverified data for his or her consciousness, in accordance to a number of officers who had seen it.
“We recently acquired information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States Homeland,” the memo reads, “specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran.”
Federal investigators usually share data of questioned credibility with native legislation enforcement companions out of an abundance of warning.
One legislation enforcement supply mentioned federal and state safety officers have deemed the data to be “aspirational” in nature and don’t presently imagine there may be an imminent menace.
The US intelligence neighborhood routinely collects intelligence on adversaries signaling their want to trigger hurt, one legislation enforcement official supply mentioned, however mere claims don’t imply adversaries are able to finishing up an assault.
These forms of studies are shared with native legislation enforcement “daily,” the supply mentioned.
Newsom posted on social media that he’s “in constant coordination with security and intelligence officials” over potential threats to California, “including those tied to the conflict in the Middle East.”
“While we are not aware of any imminent threats at this time, we remain prepared for any emergency in our state,” Newsom wrote.
President Donald Trump mentioned later Wednesday that the federal government is investigating the unverified declare.
“It’s being investigated,” the president informed reporters when requested concerning the FBI memo. “But you have a lot of things happening, and all we could do is take them as they come.”
Pressed on if he has been briefed on the potential variety of Iranian sleeper cells situated throughout the United States, the president informed reporters, “I have been.”
NCS’s Samantha Waldenberg contributed to this report.