By Rachel M. Cohen
Detroit - ...Domestic violent extremists (click here) pose a steady and evolving threat of violence and economic harm to the United States and, while trends may shift, the underlying drivers for domestic violent extremism — such as perceptions of government or law enforcement overreach, sociopolitical conditions, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, misogyny, and reactions to legislative actions— remain constant, he said.
Lone wolves have been a problem for some time in the USA, but, with the arrests of 13 violent domestic terrorists, those seeking to succeed in the shadows may be lone wolves.
"See something, say something."
The FBI is most concerned about lone offender attacks, primarily shootings, as they have served as the dominant lethal mode for domestic violent extremist attacks, according to Wray. More deaths were caused by domestic violent extremists than international terrorists in recent years. He said 2019 was the deadliest year for domestic extremist violence since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
"The greatest threat we face in the homeland is that posed by lone actors radicalized online who look to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons. We see this lone-actor threat manifested both within domestic violent extremists and homegrown violent extremists, two distinct sets of individuals that generally self-radicalized and mobilize to violence on their own," Wray said. "Domestic violent extremists are individuals who commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as racial bias and anti-government sentiment. Homegrown violent extremists are individuals who have been radicalized primarily in the United States, and who are inspired by, but not receiving individualized direction from, foreign terrorist organizations."
