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DomesticTerrorism_TheThreatinOurBackyard.pdf
Domestic Terrorism: The Threat in Our Backyard
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Expert View MARCH 22ND, 2018 BY MICHAEL VIGIL | 2 COMMENTS
The number one “terrorist” threat faced by Americans comes from within, with all of
the lethal attacks in the U.S. since 9/11 carried out by a U.S. citizens or legal residents. But the U.S. still lacks a domestic federal terrorism law that would help
target U.S.-based terrorists like they do terrorists overseas. Even when domestic
terrorists are caught, they often do less jail time for their crimes.
Past examples include Timothy McVeigh, the bomber of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, who killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others
in 1995. He was not convicted of terrorism, but of using a weapon of mass
destruction.
Another is Dylann Roof, the white supremacist, who killed nine black parishioners at a Charleston church in 2016. He was convicted of murder and weapons charges.
And in the past few days, Austin, Texas, has been rocked by several package bombs,
beginning on March 12, 2018 – attacks by what police called a “serial bomber.” Police
finally cornered the bomber Wednesday. Mark Anthony Condit, an unemployed 23 year old, blew himself up in his car as SWAT members approached. No motive has
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been yet determined, but the random nature of the bombs and explosive devices
seemed calculated to inspire terror, with no particular ideological target.
That mix of attackers and myriad motives of McVeigh, Roof and Condit shows what U.S. law enforcement is up against – often without the access the intelligence or
arrest powers afforded their colleagues working to stop terrorists overseas, or ones
trying to reach these shores.
Yet the threat of domestic terrorism to Americans is much greater. Since the attacks of 9/11 on New York and Washington by 19 foreign-born terrorists, through Dec. 31,
2016, there were 85 terrorist attacks in which 225 people were killed. But every one of
the attacks that led to fatalities was carried out either by a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
And the attackers are seldom in well-organized teams such as the one responsible for
the horrific attack on 9/11. The number one threat is now homegrown extremists,
radicalized by Islamist groups such ISIS– either through direct communication or inspired by radical material on line. They are exemplified by the attacks in San
Bernardino, Fort Hood and Orlando. They are hard to spot because they’ve usually
never visited a foreign country for training, and they usually work alone, with few or
no co-conspirators, so they give little indication of a planned attack.
Their opposite, and equally dangerous cohort are the white nationalist and rightwing
extremists who have reportedly killed twice as many people as radical Muslims from
2001 to 2016.
Like the homegrown jihadists, they also often use whatever weapon they can find, i.e., crude explosive devices packed with nuts, bolts and nails; single-shot long weapons
made more deadly through the use of bump stocks, and even vehicles, like the attack
that killed Heather Heyer who was protesting a white nationalist rally in
Charlottesville, Va., last summer.
These attacks against soft targets do not require planning, extensive training, or
coordination, but they can still be lethal. Although the attacks may not be as large as
the one of 9/11, a steady pattern of smaller ones will create chaos and uncertainty. For
example, the Boston marathon bombing literally paralyzed the entire city.
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But definitions of domestic terrorism used by federal agencies are confusing and
inconsistent. There should be no ambiguity when distinguishing criminal activity
from domestic terrorism. Congress defined domestic terrorism as “criminal conduct
that takes place primarily in the U.S. and involves acts dangerous to human life that appear to be intended to either intimidate or coerce a group of people, or to influence
government policy through intimidation or coercion.” But it did not actually make
such activity a crime.
Congress could help by passing a law to make domestic terrorism a crime, which would allow the federal government to use its vast resources to conduct court
authorized wire intercepts, searches and seizures, surveillance, serve subpoenas,
obtain documents and records, and conduct arrests – and help make America safer.
The federal government also needs to establish a “list” of official domestic terrorist groups. U.S. counterterrorism abroad is driven by such a list. The State Department
has created a list of foreign terrorist networks, which provides congress clarity when
passing laws and addressing the problem. But political sensitivities stateside seems to have blocked the creation of a similar list of domestic groups, which hampers
policymakers understanding of homegrown terrorism.
Another issue relates to the vast disparity of federal prosecutions foreign terrorists in
the U.S. versus domestic terrorists. Domestic terrorists have faced less severe sentences than those connected with ISIS. Foreign terrorists charged with plotting or
carrying out attacks were given a median prison sentence of 53 years. Homegrown
terrorists had a median sentence of 20 years for similar crimes. Penalties should be
the same for both foreign based or domestic acts of terrorism.
We must be proactive in addressing domestic terrorism by developing and modifying
our strategies to meet the insidious and dynamic threat to our society. We must also
provide needed tools to our law enforcement agencies in the form of technology,
communications and adequate laws.
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2 Responses
Tom says:
March 22, 2018 at 8:31 am
The Austin bomber wasn’t domestic terrorism.
Domestic terrorism: Perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or
associated with primarily U.S.-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.
He was just a kook.
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism
Reply
Ed Wezain says:
March 22, 2018 at 8:51 am
I don’t believe we need more laws, I just think we need to enforce the ones
we have. Does it matter to the victim if they were killed for their wallet in a robbery or by a package bomb? Dead is dead. The city of Chicago constantly
releases convicted felons on personal recognizance bonds who have been
arrested with firearms which are illegal for them to own. These same
convicted felons are then re-arrested for firearms violations and re-released on bond…and the city leaders in Chicago wonder why over 600 people were
murdered by firearms whiled about 3000 people were shot in the city in
2017. In addition, under federal law it is illegal for a felon to possess a firearm. I believe it is a minimum five year sentence if convicted. Is this law
being enforced in Chicago….doubtful? Let’s just enforce the laws we
currently have on the books before we add to the labyrinth of laws already on
the books.
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