The Domestic Terrorist Threat: Background and Issues for Congress

Bjelopera, Jerome P.

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Terrorism;    Counterterrorism;    Criminal justice;    Terrorists;    Subversive activities;   

RP-ID  :  R42536
RP-ID  :  R42536_2012May15

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

In the last decade, domestic terrorists-people who commit crimes within the homeland and draw inspiration from U.S.-based extremist ideologies and movements-have killed American citizens and damaged property across the country. Not all of these criminals have been prosecuted under terrorism statutes. This report discusses domestic terrorism's significance to policymakers per five topics: level of activity, use of nontraditional tactics, exploitation of the internet, decentralized nature of the threat, and prison radicalization. The report also discusses three areas that Congress may consider the federal role of combating such activities: the issue of definitions, adequacy of domestic terrorism intelligence collection efforts, and the value of community outreach driven efforts to quell terrorism related radicalization in the United States.