Domestic Terrorism: Coming To A Neighborhood Near You

The recent Sikh temple shooting is an example of domestic terrorism of another kind. It’s not your stereotypical Islamic group but a disturbed US Army veteran, Wade Page.  It reminds me that we are fighting radicalism in the homeland as much as we are overseas.

Domestic Terrorism And The Lone Offender

From The FBI’s Website On Domestic Terror:

Nothing before or since has come close to the terror attacks of 9/11 in terms of lives lost, scope, and impact. And we know that al Qaeda led and inspired operatives still seek to strike our homeland – including with weapons of mass destruction. Which is why globally-fueled terrorism continues to occupy much of our time and attention these days.

And yet, as we were reminded by shootings in Kansas, Arkansas, and the nation’s capital over just 11 days this spring, the threat of domestic terror – Americans attacking Americans based on U.S.-based extremist ideologies – is alive and well.

A single individual driven to hateful attacks based on a particular set of beliefs without a larger group’s knowledge or support. In some cases, these lone offenders may have tried to join a group but were kicked out for being too radical or simply left the group because they felt it wasn’t extreme or violent enough. We believe most domestic attacks are carried out by lone offenders to promote their own grievances and agendas.

Admittedly, the FBI has a tough job.

You Can Help

Be alert to potential signs of domestic terror plots and planning and contact the FBI immediately with any information or leads.

This is the fastest way to look up local Field Office information, which all should have a phone number and are staffed 24/7.

http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field/search-by-zip-code‘ target=’_blank’>http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field/search-by-zip-code

The 24-hour tip line. Incoming information is immediately vetted and acted upon appropriately.
https://tips.fbi.gov

Extremism Is Alive…

…At Home In The U.S. As It Is in Islamabad

Under The Banner of Heaven by: John Krakauer is an excellent look at the dark under belly of U.S. Domestic Terrorism and how it’s a very serious problem. Some would even argue that statistically, most Domestic terrorism, Islamic Radicals commit far less terrorist acts than other home-grown groups.  Oklahoma City, anyone?

A 2010 Report From CNN

The terrorist threat posed by radicalized Muslim Americans has been exaggerated, according to a study released Wednesday by researchers at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A small number of Muslim-Americans have undergone radicalization since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the study found. It compiled a list of 139 individuals it categorized as “Muslim-American terrorism offenders” who had become radicalized in the U.S. in that time — a rate of 17 per year.

That level is “small compared to other violent crime in America, but not insignificant,” according to the study, titled “Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans.”

To be included on the list, an offender had to have been wanted, arrested, convicted or killed in connection with terrorism-related activities since 9/11 — and have lived in the United States, regardless of immigration status, for more than a year prior to arrest.

Of the 139 offenders, fewer than a third successfully executed a violent plan, according to a Duke University statement on the study, and most of those were overseas. Read the report: “Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans” (PDF)

“Muslim-American organizations and the vast majority of individuals that we interviewed firmly reject the radical extremist ideology that justifies the use of violence to achieve political ends,” David Schanzer, an associate professor in Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, said in the statement.

In the aftermath of 9/11, however, as well as terrorist attacks elsewhere in the world, the possible radicalization of Muslim-Americans is a “key counterterrorism concern” — magnified by heavy publicity that accompanies the arrests of Muslim-Americans, such as that seen in the wake of the November shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people were killed. Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan, a Muslim born in Virginia, is charged in connection with that incident.

What Can We Do About Terrorism?

SOFREP Says, Take Away Key Ingredients.

A plant needs four things to grow.

1. Light
2. Water
3. CO2 (carbon dioxide)
4. Nutrients

We can look at Terrorism (and Extremism for that matter) in a similar way. Take away key ingredients and you prevent future growth. After all, just pulling weeds can go on indefinitely, and it’s a losing strategy, just look at the Afghanistan garden of today.