U.S. Intelligence Agencies Warn Of Heightened Domestic Extremism Threat

A new report from the U.S. Intelligence Community warns of future, unspecified, violence committed by domestic extremists, who have been emboldened by the siege on the U.S. Capitol and conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and coronavirus pandemic.

President Biden commissioned a threat assessment shortly after taking office. An unclassified summary of the findings, issued by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, was released Wednesday. The full, classified, report was sent to the White House and Congress.

It concludes that racially and ethnically motivated extremists, such as white supremacists and those tied to violent militias, are considered the “most lethal” threats. Lone offenders or smaller cells of extremists are more likely than organizations to carry out attacks, and are proving harder for law enforcement to track.