FBI Warned California Police of Iran-Linked Offshore Drone Attack Plot

A federal intelligence bulletin circulated to law enforcement partners across California in late February warned that Iran had allegedly aspired to launch a drone attack from an unidentified vessel off the U.S. West Coast, targeting unspecified locations in the state. Officials stressed the alert did not indicate a confirmed or imminent threat.

The bulletin, distributed to Joint Terrorism Task Force partners and reported by ABC News, contained language describing a conditional scenario: "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, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the US conducted strikes against Iran." The memo immediately acknowledged its own limits: "We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack."

A source briefed on the memo told the Los Angeles Times that the intelligence originated with U.S. Coast Guard intelligence and was shared as a precaution. Counterterrorism officials described such alerts as documents "often written broadly to prompt vigilance rather than signal an active plot."

The FBI, the governor's office and major California police departments declined to comment when first approached Wednesday. Later that day, Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the matter at a press conference. "As it relates to drone strikes, we've been aware of that information," Newsom said. "We've been working collaboratively through the SOC (State Operations Center), which we established right after the war began. We've been working with the office of emergency services, but working locally to make sure we transmit any information that we have received."

California's Office of Emergency Services had already addressed the situation publicly on February 28, when it said it was monitoring the evolving situation in the region and that there was no "specific or credible threat" to California at the time.

President Donald Trump, asked Wednesday whether he was concerned about Iran-backed attacks on U.S. soil, offered a succinct answer: "No, I'm not."

The bulletin arrives against the backdrop of escalating tensions among the United States, Israel and Iran, with Iranian forces conducting drone strikes across the Middle East. U.S. officials have long harbored concerns about Iran pre-positioning equipment on land or vessels at sea that could be activated if Iran were struck by American or Israeli forces.

The memo notably omitted critical operational details. It did not identify any specific vessel, name any intended targets within California, or explain how drones launched from offshore could reach land-based targets. Those gaps reinforce the characterization that the bulletin reflects an aspirational assessment rather than an actionable intelligence product.

The bulletin's framing, using the phrase "allegedly aspired," suggests the intelligence captured intent or desire rather than active operational planning. That distinction matters for how law enforcement and the public should interpret the warning: it represents a level of concern sufficient to alert state partners, but not a confirmed plot requiring public alarm.

California's vast coastline, major ports and dense population centers make it a natural focus of any threat assessment involving maritime-launched weapons. Whether federal agencies have taken additional maritime security measures in response to the bulletin has not been publicly confirmed.