Why We Should Expect a Steady Increase of Terrorist Attacks in the United States — And What You Can Do to Protect Your Family
Why We Should Expect a Steady Increase of Terrorist Attacks in the United States — And What You Can Do to Protect Your Family
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #812: Thursday, March 12th, 2026.
The warning sign just flashed again.
A man drove a vehicle straight into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan—one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country.
Inside the building were around 140 children.
A security guard was injured before the attacker was stopped.
Federal authorities called it what it was: a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.
Think about that for a moment.
A synagogue.
Children inside.
A vehicle used as a weapon.
This wasn’t random chaos.
This was symbolic violence…the kind designed to echo far beyond the immediate victims.
The kind designed to scare millions of people who were never physically there.
That’s the whole point of terrorism.
And if you step back…and look at the broader landscape…calmly, honestly, without partisan blinders…you start to see something uncomfortable.
That attack is not an isolated incident.
It’s a signal.
And…if current trends continue, Americans should prepare themselves for something many leaders are reluctant to say out loud:
We are likely entering a period where terrorist attacks inside the United States increase…not decrease.
Not because Americans suddenly became monsters.
But because the conditions that produce terrorism…are quietly aligning.
The Three Ingredients That Produce Terrorism
Terrorism almost always appears when three forces collide.
Radicalized individuals
Easy methods of attack
Weak early detection
Right now, every one of those forces is moving in the wrong direction.
Radicalization Is Accelerating
Twenty years ago, becoming a terrorist required infrastructure.
Training camps.
Networks.
Money.
Mentors.
Today…it requires something much simpler.
A phone
Online ecosystems now radicalize people faster than governments can track them.
Algorithms push outrage…because outrage keeps people scrolling.
Echo chambers…reward the most extreme voices.
Conspiracies spread faster than corrections.
A lonely, angry person can move from grievance → obsession → justification → violence in weeks.
Sometimes days.
Security officials have warned for years that lone attackers and small cells are now the most likely terrorism threat inside the United States.
And…lone actors are the hardest to stop.
They don’t belong to big organizations.
They often don’t communicate much.
They radicalize in private.
And…they choose soft targets.
Synagogues.
Churches.
Schools.
Concerts.
Community centers.
Places filled with ordinary people…who believe they’re safe.
The Barrier to Violence Has Collapsed
The terrifying truth about modern terrorism is this:
You don’t need sophistication anymore.
You don’t need explosives.
You don’t need a network.
Sometimes you don’t even need a gun.
You need:
A grievance.
A justification story.
And something that can kill.
Cars.
Knives.
Improvised weapons.
Vehicles have become a common tool of modern attacks because they require almost no preparation.
No purchase trail.
No illegal components.
Just rage…and opportunity.
Which is exactly what we saw in Michigan.
Now Here’s the Part That Should Truly Concern People
While radicalization is accelerating…
While the barrier to violence is collapsing…
The systems designed to detect threats early have been weakened.
After 9/11, the United States built one of the most powerful counterterrorism detection systems in the world.
Data networks.
Prevention programs.
Community partnerships.
Analysts who study patterns.
Local intervention teams.
All designed…to catch warning signs before violence happens.
But…in recent years, pieces of that system have been cut back or hollowed out.
Funding for violence-prevention programs has been reduced.
Community intervention initiatives have been scaled down.
One of the most important public databases tracking terrorism and targeted violence in America…lost its federal funding.
Researchers working on that database had already identified a troubling signal: early data in 2025 suggested incidents were rising significantly compared to the year before.
Then the tracking system itself disappeared.
When you stop measuring threats…you don’t eliminate them.
You just make them harder to see.
The Intelligence System Is Losing Memory
There’s another problem.
Personnel.
Counterterrorism expertise doesn’t appear overnight.
It takes years to build.
Analysts…who know extremist networks.
Agents…who recognize patterns in behavior.
Local officers…who trust federal investigators enough to share warnings.
But…experienced national-security personnel inside federal agencies have been removed, reassigned, or redirected.
In many cases, resources have shifted toward immigration enforcement.
That might satisfy political priorities.
But…it comes with a cost.
Because counterterrorism is built on something fragile:
Institutional memory.
When experts disappear…the system loses context.
And context…is often what separates a missed signal…from a prevented attack.
The Question That Makes People Uncomfortable
Why weaken institutions designed to detect terrorism?
There are a few possible explanations.
The first is ideological.
Some political leaders simply distrust government institutions.
They view them as enemies to control rather than tools to strengthen.
The second explanation is political theater.
Aggressive immigration actions generate dramatic images.
Intelligence prevention work does not.
So resources shift toward the visible.
But…there is also a third possibility.
A darker one.
Not proven.
But…impossible to ignore.
Fear Is Political Power
History teaches something very uncomfortable about politics.
Fear can be useful.
When people feel unsafe…they behave differently.
They become more willing to accept extraordinary authority.
More willing to trade freedom for protection.
More willing to rally around strong leaders who promise security.
Again…this doesn’t mean any leader wants attacks to happen.
But…some leaders are clearly willing to accept instability…if instability strengthens their political leverage.
It’s an old playbook.
And…it has worked before.
Who Pays the Price
If terrorist attacks rise, the people who suffer won’t be politicians.
It will be ordinary Americans.
Families.
Religious communities.
Teachers.
Concertgoers.
Children.
The targets terrorists prefer are almost always soft targets.
Places where people gather.
Places where people feel safe.
Places where security feels unnecessary.
What Families Can Actually Do
Preparation doesn’t mean paranoia.
It means removing the illusion that danger is impossible.
A few simple habits dramatically improve survival.
When you enter a crowded space…identify exits immediately.
Teach children a simple rule: if adults say move…move immediately.
Have a family meeting point outside major events.
Keep phones charged.
Use location sharing with close family members.
Learn basic bleeding-control skills.
Carry a small trauma kit in your car.
Pay attention to unusual behavior around entrances…or vehicles positioned strangely close to crowds.
And if something feels wrong…
Say something.
Most people hesitate…because they don’t want to cause a scene.
But…many attacks have been prevented because someone trusted their instincts.
The Real Objective of Terrorism
Terrorism isn’t just about killing people.
It’s about occupying your mind.
The real target is psychological.
Fear.
Helplessness.
A sense that danger is everywhere.
The best defense is not denial.
It’s clarity.
Be aware.
Be prepared.
But don’t give extremists the emotional control they want.
The Signal We Just Saw
The Michigan synagogue attack wasn’t just another crime story.
It was a warning light.
Radicalization is accelerating.
The barrier to violence is collapsing.
And…the systems designed to detect threats early have been weakened.
When those three forces collide…history shows what tends to happen next.
More attempts.
More plots.
More violence.
The question isn’t whether the environment is becoming more dangerous.
The real question…is whether Americans will recognize the signal early enough to prepare.
Because ignoring warning signs…is how societies get surprised.
And the truth is…
The warning signs are already flashing.
#HoldFast
Back soon.
-Jack
Jack Hopkins
P.S. One more thing worth saying out loud.
Terrorism rarely appears without warning. Almost every major attack in modern history had signals beforehand…patterns, rhetoric, smaller incidents, rising tension, institutional blind spots.
The problem isn’t that the signals don’t exist.
It’s that people don’t want to see them.
That’s why I wrote this.
Not to scare you.
Not to predict doom.
But to help you recognize the landscape we’re moving into…so you and the people you love…are a little more aware, a little more prepared, and a lot harder to catch off guard.
Because the truth is simple:
Prepared citizens are harder to terrorize.
Be watching for the article for paid subscribers…
I’m going to share the exact precautions my family uses to stay safer in a world where terrorism and targeted violence are rising.
What we do.
Why we do it.
And…how you can quickly determine which precautions actually matter for your situation…and which ones don’t.
Because protecting your family isn’t about doing everything.
It’s about doing the right few things.
Sources / Further Reading
AP: FBI says Michigan synagogue attack was a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community
The Washington Post: Man rams car into synagogue in attack on Jewish community, authorities say
University of Maryland START: Statement on the cancellation of T2V
ProPublica: Trump’s cuts signal end to government work on terrorism prevention
The Washington Post: Mass firings leave national security ranks thinned as war raises threats
It’s even more of a concern because our current occupant of the White House is responsible for the precipitating incident. My Islamic friends are horrified at what will happen after these lone wolf terrorists do more of what we saw today. A local community recently refused to allow a new mosque to be built there. I’m so scared for them.
“We” lit the match to this one.
I love it that you’re so experienced in these matters- and share that with us. ( Also hate hearing it, at the same time). So— was domestic terrorism the handlers plan, as the result of Iran bombing? I think so. God help us. We have fallen so far down.