05 Nov
Domestic terrorism, or domestic terrorism, is a form of terrorism in which victims are targeted “within a country by an offender with the same citizenship” as the victims. [1] There are many definitions of terrorism, and none of them are universally accepted. The U.S. State Department defined terrorism in 2003 as “deliberate and politically motivated violence perpetrated by sub-national groups or covert agents against non-combat targets, generally aimed at influencing an audience.” [1] However, the U.S. government cannot charge anyone with domestic terrorism because there is no such criminal law. [2] On July 23, 2019, FBI Chief Christopher A. Wray told a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that the agency had been operational since July 1, 2019. As of October 2018, about 100 arrests for domestic terrorism were made, and the majority of them were somehow related to white supremacy. Wray said the bureau was “aggressively pursuing [domestic terrorism] by leveraging both counterterrorism and criminal investigation resources, and working closely with our state and local partners,” but said it focuses on the violence itself rather than its ideological foundation. A similar number of arrests have been made for international terrorism. In the past, Wray has said white supremacy is a significant and “ever-present” threat to the United States. [19] The USA Patriot Act of 2001 defines domestic terrorism as “activities that involve (A) acts that endanger human life and constitute a violation of U.S. criminal law.
or any State; (B) are ostensibly intended to: (i) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) Influencing the policies of a Government through intimidation or coercion; or (iii) influence the conduct of a government through mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping; and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. This definition is made for the purpose of authorising law enforcement investigations. Although international terrorism (“acts of transnational terrorism”) is a crime defined in federal law,[6] there is no federal offence called “domestic terrorism.” Acts of domestic terrorism are charged under certain laws, such as murdering federal agents or “attempting to use explosives to destroy a building in interstate commerce.” [7] Some state and local governments in the United States have national crimes called “terrorism,”[8] including the District of Columbia. [9] On his first full day in office, President Biden directed his national security team to conduct a comprehensive 100-day review of the U.S. government`s efforts to combat domestic terrorism, which has become the most pressing terrorist threat facing the United States today. As a result of this review, the Biden administration is releasing the first national strategy to combat domestic terrorism to address this U.S. national security challenge and improve the federal government`s response. Scientists say some lone wolves can achieve goals, but the vast majority of individual operators fail to execute their plans due to a lack of training and planning. There is also the question of whether these people are radical or suffer from other problems. American convert Abdulhakim Muhammad (born Carlos Bledsoe), who killed one U.S. military recruiter in Little Rock, Arkansas, and wounded another, had many other goals and plans gone wrong.
It was only some time after his arrest that he first claimed to have worked for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). But investigators found no evidence of this. The chief prosecutor said that apart from Mohammed`s self-serving statements, it was “just a gruesome murder,” like others he had seen. [29] Bledsoe`s father described his son as “incapable of dealing with reality.” [30] He was charged with capital murder and related charges, not terrorism, and pleaded guilty. There is no single path to violence. Homegrown terrorists were school dropouts, university graduates, military personnel and covered the full gamut of financial situations. A study published in the British Journal of Politics and International Relations in 2011 suggests that domestic terrorism in countries with majoritarian political systems may result from a lack of opportunities for meaningful political engagement. [23] Some domestic terrorists studied abroad and were exposed to radical Islamist ideas, while others were inspired by the Internet. [24] An article published in the British Journal of Sociology suggests that discrimination against minorities, particularly in the form of residential segregation of Muslims in European countries such as England, France and Germany, may contribute to the radicalization of Muslims in these countries.
[25] The FBI`s Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) are our nation`s front line against terrorism. To develop a whole-of-government strategy to combat domestic terrorists, the Biden administration consulted extensively with a wide range of experts from the U.S. government, as well as leaders in Congress, state and local governments, academia, civil society, religious communities, and foreign governments. Throughout the process, we have recognized the protection of civil liberties and civil liberties as a national security imperative. The strategy we are releasing today is carefully designed to combat violence and reduce the factors that lead to violence, threaten public safety and interfere with freedom of expression. It revolves around four pillars – the central elements of how the Biden administration will improve the U.S. government`s response to this ongoing, evolving, and deadly threat to our people, our democracy, and our national security: The Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) maintains the U.S. government`s consolidated terrorism watch list.About a quarter of these plots have been linked to major international terrorist groups, but a growing number of Americans are occupying high-level operational roles in these terrorist groups, particularly in al-Qaeda and its affiliates. [14] [15] [16] Former CIA Director Michael Hayden called domestic terrorism the most serious threat facing American citizens today. [17] The UK also views domestic terrorism as a significant threat. On 6th June 2011 Prime Minister David Cameron announced an ambitious strategy to prevent British citizens from becoming terrorists during their studies. The strategy aims to prevent speakers or extremist groups from coming to universities. [18] Many factors have contributed to the evolution of the terrorist threat at the international and national levels, such as: According to the Congressional Research Service study, American Jihadist Terrorism: Combatting a Complex Threat, law enforcement agencies made arrests between May 2009 and November 2010 in connection with 22 homemade jihadist-inspired terrorist attacks perpetrated by U.S. citizens or legal residents of the United States.