Leaked DHS Memo Warned of Home Assassinations Before Minnesota Lawmaker Shootings
In a chilling development that has stunned the nation, a previously leaked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo eerily foreshadowed the kind of politically motivated violence that exploded into reality this weekend in Minnesota.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their home. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also attacked, sustaining injuries in a separate but similarly targeted assault. Both attacks are believed to have been carried out by a suspect impersonating law enforcement—a tactic flagged as highly concerning in the DHS bulletin issued last year.
A Predicted Pattern of Domestic Terror
The March 11 DHS memo, originally obtained by ABC News and resurfaced by Mediaite following the tragedy, detailed an alarming trend: the rise of “lone-wolf” style attacks against public figures at their private residences—now seen as the “soft targets” of an increasingly polarized America.
“The threat to high-profile public and private sector officials and their families and staff has likely increased,” the memo read, citing an uptick in doxing, swatting, and online chatter encouraging attacks at home addresses.
The report specifically warned that homes lack the security of government buildings or corporate headquarters, and thus have become preferred targets for would-be assassins driven by ideology or rage.
A Nation on Edge
The killings appear to have been politically motivated assassinations, according to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who has since activated the State Emergency Operations Center and urged all lawmakers to heighten their personal security.
“These attacks were not random,” Gov. Walz said. “They were targeted. And they were acts of domestic political violence.”
The shooter has not yet been named or apprehended, though early reports confirm the suspect may have impersonated a police officer during both attacks—another disturbing echo of DHS’s forecasted threat models.
When Warnings Become Reality
The DHS memo specifically noted that traditional “hard” targets—Capitol buildings, courthouses, and government offices—have been fortified in recent years, leaving threat actors to “prioritize private residences, perceived as accessible with limited obstacles.”
Online communities fostering conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric have only escalated in hostility, the memo said, often targeting individuals by name, photo, and address—a dangerous blend in today’s hyper-partisan digital ecosystem.
Legislators Now Living in Fear
In the aftermath of the shootings, lawmakers across Minnesota and beyond are being urged to review personal security, with some reportedly seeking temporary relocation while the investigation and manhunt continue.
As partisan tensions rise and political rhetoric intensifies, many are asking: Did DHS see this coming—and was anything done to stop it?
The leaked memo didn’t just warn of this possibility.
It predicted it with haunting accuracy.
And now, the nation is witnessing the consequences of ignoring its own alarm bells.
