The Threat of Domestic Terrorism: Combating Targeted Violence

By Paul Davis

In September 19th the Justice Department indicted Alexi Saab with charges dealing with his suspected surveillance of possible terrorist targets in New York for the terrorist group Hezbollah.  The indictment is a sign that the U.S. remains a terrorist target for overseas terrorist organizations. But according to federal law enforcement officials, there are also threats from homegrown terrorists.

On September 20th, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin K. McAleenan, announced the new DHS Strategic Framework for Combating Terrorism and Targeted Violence at the Brookings Institution, an event co-hosted by the Heritage Foundation.  “Today, the United States faces an evolving threat environment, and a threat of terrorism and targeted violence within our borders that is more diverse than at any time since the 9/11 attacks,” McAleenan said. “While the threat posed by foreign terrorist organizations like the Islamic State and al-Qaeda persists, we are acutely aware of the growing threat from enemies, both foreign and domestic, who seek to incite violence in our Nation’s youth, disenfranchised, and disaffected, in order to attack their fellow citizens and fray at the seams of our diverse social fabric.  “This awareness, coupled with the history of recent tragedies, has galvanized the Department of Homeland Security to expand its counterterrorism mission focus beyond terrorists operating abroad, to include those radicalized to violen...