White House calls Capitol riot a 'terrorist attack', introduces Pentagon anti-radicalization to stop the 'lethal' rise of 'white supremacy' in the military and pushes to 'purge' the internet of 'extremist content'
The Pentagon is to start training for service members leaving the military to prevent them being radicalized by violent extremists, as part of the country's first domestic terrorism strategy due to be unveiled on Tuesday.
It follows a review that stated the most dangerous elements of the threat today come from white supremacists and anti-government extremists.
The White House also called the Capitol riot a 'domestic terrorist attack' in the report and backed a 'purge' of extremist content online.
The strategy includes $100 million for the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for analysts, prosecutors and investigators.
'In addition, the Department of Defense is incorporating training for servicemembers separating retirements in the military, who may potentially be targeted by those who seek to radicalise them,' said an administration official.
Attorney General Merrick Garland is due to unveil the country's first National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism at 11am on Tuesday. It follows a 100-day review of the most urgent terrorism threats the United States faces today
The strategy includes the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol among examples of domestic terrorism. The high number of serving military personnel and veterans arrested after the violence alarmed officials
'Domestic terrorist attacks in the United States also have been committed frequently by those opposing our government institutions. In 1995, in the largest single act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, an anti–government violent extremist detonated a bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people – including 19 children – and injuring hundreds of others,' the report says.
'In 2016, an anti–authority violent extremist ambushed, shot, and killed five police officers in Dallas. In 2017, a lone gunman wounded four people at a congressional baseball practice. And just months ago, on January 6, 2021, Americans witnessed an unprecedented attack against a core institution of our democracy: the U.S. Congress.'
The move follows revelations that a disproportionate number of people arrested during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol were active military personnel or veterans.
Experts in domestic terrorism have long warned that far-right militants were targeting people with military or law enforcement training for recruitment.
The new strategy brackets the Capitol assault - when thousands of Trump supporters descended on Congress - with mass shootings at a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a Walmart in El Paso as part of the country's 'tragic history' of domestic terrorism
The strategy will also address the danger of 'insider threats' within the military or security agencies.
'The Department of Defence, Department of Justice, and Homeland Security Department are similarly pursuing efforts to ensure that domestic terrorists are not employed within our military or law enforcement ranks, and that they improve their screening and vetting processes,' said the official.
'Training and resources will be developed for state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement partners as well as for sensitive private sector partners, to enable them to enhance their own employee screening programme, and to prevent individuals who post domestic terrorism threats and being placed in positions of trust.'
The strategy will be launched by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday morning.
In a foreword, President Biden said America could not ignore the threat from domestic terrorism.
'Together we must affirm that domestic terrorism has no place in our society,' he said.
'We must work to root out the hatreds that can too often drive violence.
The move follows revelations that a disproportionate number of people arrested during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol were active military personnel or veterans. Experts in domestic terrorism have long warned that far-right militants were targeting people with military or law enforcement training for recruitment
'And we must recommit to defend and protect those basic freedoms, which belong to all Americans in equal measure, and which are not only the foundation of our democracy— they are our enduring advantage in the world.'
The strategy comprises four pillars: enhancing analysis and information sharing between agencies; preventing recruitment and mobilization to violence, including targeting the online spread of hate; disrupting and deterring terrorism, including the $100 million cash injection; tackling long-term drivers such as racism and the flow of firearms.
Earlier this year the Department of Homeland Security said it was launching an internal review to assess the threat of violent extremism from within the agency.
Senior DHS officials will immediately begin the review, which is aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to extremism within the ranks of a sprawling agency that includes the Coast Guard and the nation's immigration enforcement organizations, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a letter announcing the effort.
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