Leaked Homeland Security memo warned of attacks eerily similar to Minnesota political assassin

A leaked 'confidential' memo from 2024 reportedly detailed that wannabe attackers against high-level government officials are focusing attention on their targets' residences, eerily resembling the assassination and attempted assassination attempts in Minnesota.
The resurfaced report comes as State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home on Saturday morning in what Governor Tim Walz said appeared to be 'politically motivated.'
Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and underwent surgery. Walz told reporters that doctors were 'cautiously optimistic' that the couple would survive the assassination attempt.
The shocking events may seem unpredictable, but a confidential memo, obtained by ABC News in March 2024, detailed a 'recent uptick' in personal residences targeted by public officials.
The memo said that the attacks on homes left public servants and their families 'vulnerable to attack.'
The attackers referenced in the memo have moved from targeting public spaces and known buildings to home addresses, which often lack security measures.
The federal intelligence bulletin cited increased online messaging promoting attacks on homes as the reason for the recent uptick in planned attacks.
'Recent attacks at private residences have occurred during a period of overall increased political polarization, target hardening of more traditional attack locations, and the prevalence of conspiracy theories targeting industry and government officials,' the memo stated.
The bulletin added that increased security measures in public spaces and government buildings have potentially driven attackers to 'prioritize private residences.'
The memo also stated, 'While targeting private residences is not a new tactic, 7 of 10 known attacks or disrupted plots against high-profile officials since 2018 occurred in the last two years.'
Analysts at the Department of Homeland Security also noted that attackers are motivated by ideological and personal grievances.
The federal intelligence bulletin warned that the enhanced technology and the ability to find people's addresses online have increased the potential of attacks on personal residences.
Although attacks on people's homes aren't new practices, the rise of violence against public officials in their residences has become increasingly alarming.
In October 2022, a man named David DePape broke into former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's home.
DePape invaded Pelosi's home with a hammer and attacked her husband, Paul, while repeatedly asking for the former speaker.
Now, in 2025, the threat has become even more real as federal officials investigate the shocking assassinations in Minnesota.
The information noted in the leaked memo last year foreshadowed the disturbing events that transpired on Saturday morning.
As the federal intelligence bulletin warned, the personal residences of Hortman and Hoffman presented an opportunity for the attacker to invade with fewer obstacles than a government building or public event.
The first shooting occurred just after 2am at Hoffman's home before the attacker arrived at Hortman's residence at 4am.
Law enforcement named Vance Boelter, 57, as the suspect, who remains at large after the vicious attacks.
Boelter is an employee at a security company where he works as the director of security patrols.
Investigators believe Boelter has attempted to flee the state as a nail-biting manhunt has ensued.
Law enforcement also found a 'manifesto' with almost 70 names inside his vehicle along with flyers for the anti-Trump 'NO KINGS' nationwide rallies.
Police have issued new terrifying images of the suspect in a Halloween-style mask during the shootings. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security didn't respond to a request for comment on the leaked memo, but referred to a statement from Secretary Kristi Noem.
'DHS is monitoring the horrific shooting of two Minnesota legislators in Brooklyn Park and Champlin,' the statement read.

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