The FBI said it saw a 70% increase in tips about possible mass shooting plots in the days following two massacres this month.
Incoming tips rose from 22,000 tips a week to more than 30,000 tips a week following the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the law enforcement agency said.
“Such increases are often observed after major incidents,” the FBI said in a statement, Reuters reported. “As always, the FBI encourages the public to remain vigilant and report any and all suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.”
The bureau said some tips lead to cases being opened while others are given to local police, adding that the total does not include tips sent to state and local agencies.
The National Threat Assessment Center said that out of 55 mass shootings in 2017 and 2018, three-fourths of the perpetrators made prior threats.
Police have made more than two dozen arrests connected to similar threats made since the two shootings, which left a combined 31 people dead.
At least eight of these arrests have resulted in criminal charges.
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