The Senate Homeland Security committee held a hearing Wednesday on threats to houses of worship.
Watch the hearing in the player above.
Department of Homeland Security Deputy Undersecretary for Intelligence Enterprise Stephanie Dobitsch said the United States was in a "heightened threat environment" due to several factors including conspiracy theories and misinformation as well as the possibility of "mass casualty attacks" and other violence done by lone offenders or small groups motivated by ideology.
Dobitsch said these factors were also influenced by foreign and domestic "threat actors" who might encourage violence.
"These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence," said Dobitsch.
Wednesday's hearing comes after high-profile attacks on houses of worship, including an attack in January of a synagogue in Texas where four people were held hostage by an armed captor during a 10-hour standoff.