Domestic Terrorism

Intelligence Report Warned of White Supremacist Threats

Written by SK Ashby

I think we all know domestic terrorists pose a much greater threat to safety than foreign terrorists, and they almost always have, but the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have made that clear in an intelligence report.

Foreign Policy obtained a copy of a bulletin that warned the federal government and law enforcement agencies that white supremacists not only pose a greater threat; it stated that they will carry out attacks this year.

The report, dated May 10, says the FBI and DHS believe that members of the white supremacist movement “likely will continue to pose a threat of lethal violence over the next year.” [...]

The report, titled “White Supremacist Extremism Poses Persistent Threat of Lethal Violence,” was prepared by the FBI and DHS.

The bulletin’s numbers appear to correspond with outside estimates. An independent database compiled by the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute found that between 2008 and 2016, far-right plots and attacks outnumbered Islamist incidents by almost 2 to 1.

Here's the passage from the intelligence bulletin anticipating that there will be more attacks this year:

We assess most [White Supremacist Extremist (WSE)] lethal violence over the next year very likely will derive from the capabilities of lone offenders or small cells, rather than the resources of larger groups, due to the decentralized and often disorganized status of the WSE movement. Although plot-derived mass-casualty violence remains possible, we judge it more likely that violence will continue to be spontaneous and involve targets of opportunity. Despite a lack of shooting attacks in 2016, firearms likely will continue to pose the greatest threat of lethal violence by WSEs due to their availability and ease of use.

Given the events of this past weekend, I'm not sure how well this holds up in regards to individuals versus groups, although ramming a car into a group of people may have been "spontaneous" or a "target of opportunity."

One could hardly forget that the Department of Homeland Security published a similar report during the Obama administration and was blasted for doing so by right wing media.

If the wingnut media catches wind of this report they'll probably present it as evidence that the "deep state" is out to get them. That is to be expected, but I'm more concerned that someone in the Trump regime or White House will also attack this report.

White supremacists are a significant portion of what remains of Trump's base of support.