‘Pass laws on US terrorism’

New York – New York’s antiterrorism boss has called on the US to introduce new domestic terrorism laws to cover threats posed by internal extremists, like the rioters who stormed the Capitol.

John Miller, who oversees the New York Police Department’s counterterrorism operations, said: “We don’t have domestic terrorism laws that measure up to that level, as we do with foreign.”

He noted that the US has so far been wary of such a law, adding the country needs to look at it again in light of the rioting by supporters of President Donald Trump that left five people dead.

There should not be “a laundry list of federal statutes that we have to kind of call through to figure out which one we can fit to an individual crime”, Miller said.

“There should be an overarching statute that covers domestic terrorist organisations. And if nobody thought that was a good idea two weeks ago, they should probably be thinking about it now.”

US laws currently allow prosecutors to charge anyone deemed to provide even the slightest amount of support to designated foreign terrorist organisations.

Americans can be prosecuted if they post on an online Islamic State Group forum, but not if they post on a forum for a neo-Nazi group located within the US, even if it is about arming itself.

Analysts have stressed the US is less equipped to deal with the threat of violence from far-right groups than it is jihadists.

Some 70 people have been indicted on charges related to the riot on 6 January, with federal prosecutors expecting hundreds more in the coming months.

Authorities fear further violence ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration as president on Wednesday next week.

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