President Donald Trump on Truth Social announced that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was dead. This came after attacks on his Tehran compound as Israel and US mounted an offensive.
An Israeli official also told Reuters that they had found Khamenei's body. However, Iran countered the narrative and Fars News also reported that Trump's claim was baseless. “It is worth noting that Trump has a long record of spreading false and fabricated news,” the report said, as per NBC News, who translated the Farsi text to English.
“Among previous examples of this behavior is his claim about the fall of the city of Mashhad, which was later shown to have no factual basis and to have been merely media sensationalism,” the report added.
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While confirmation about Khamenei's condition is awaited, the tense situation led many to fear about sleeper cell attacks across the US.
Sleeper cell attack fears
“Iran just got its teeth kicked in by U.S. and Israeli precision strikes…Sleeper cells. Not some tinfoil fantasy...real, embedded, radical Islamic networks trained by IRGC, Hezbollah, and every other death-cult franchise that hates your freedom more than they love their own miserable lives. They live quiet, blend in, collect intel, stockpile, and wait for the green light,” one person wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Iran just got its teeth kicked in by U.S. and Israeli precision strikes…Sleeper cells. Not some tinfoil fantasy...real, embedded, radical Islamic networks trained by IRGC, Hezbollah, and every other death-cult franchise that hates your freedom more than they love their own miserable lives. They live quiet, blend in, collect intel, stockpile, and wait for the green light,” one person wrote on X.
{{/usCountry}}Another warned “watch for sleeper cell activity America”. A third person expressed fears saying “Tbh I am nervous that Iran has sleeper cell agents in America that may commit extreme terrorism acts as retaliation to us killing the Ayatollah.”
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A person also shared a grim outlook and wrote “If there are sleeper cell and domestic threats this is when they'll appear, a big if. Avoid crowds, prepare for internet/power outages etc.”
A sleeper cell is a terrorist cell whose members work undercover in an area, until they are called to action. The fears now are that if Khamenei is killed, such individuals might be activated to carry out attacks on US soil. To be sure, this remains just a fear among many.
FBI, DHS on alert
Authorities have not confirmed any information or intelligence about sleeper cells going active in the US. However, they are on high alert given the global tensions that are brewing.
The FBI's counterterrorism and counterintelligence teams are on elevated alert nationwide, Fox News' Peter Doocy reported Saturday, citing a bureau official. They did not immediately make it clear how long this would remain in effect.
Further, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she is "in direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland."