The Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned the government of a possible threat of rising extremist violence in the country in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, two US media outlets have reported citing an obtained DHS memo.
Roe v. Wade protected abortion rights for all US women on a federal level.
The DHS document was reportedly sent to all government officials, law enforcement agencies, private contractors and first responders. According to the memo, government officials, such as judges, were on the top of the list of potential targets. The document also reportedly mentioned faith-related organizations and reproductive healthcare centers as being at risk.
The memo also reportedly warned that the country could face threats of violent extremism for weeks to come.
Previous to the ruling, protesters gathered outside the homes of conservative justices to convince them to preserve the landmark 1973 ruling. Police detained one man en route to a home of one of the justices with a gun. The man later claimed he wanted to kill the official.
A spate of protests erupted following the leak of a draft opinion suggesting that the Supreme Court ̶ which is dominated by justices appointed by Republicans 6-to-3 ̶ could overturn Roe v. Wade.
Friday’s historic overturning of the 1973 ruling, which prevented states from unilaterally outlawing abortion and secured it as a constitutional right, came with five out of nine justices voting in favor and three against. The winning opinion claimed that Roe v. Wade was weak and that the US Constitution makes no mention that abortions should be protected.
The decision was met with mass protests across the US, where according to the latest poll, 61% of population support keeping the abortion rights and around 37% oppose it. Police already had to use tear gas to disperse a large crowd of pro-choice protesters that surrounded Arizona state Senate building with one of the conservative senators claiming they were about to break in.