The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FBI: Domestic terror arrests outpace those inspired by Islamic extremism
Most people arrested as the result of FBI terrorism investigations are charged with nonterrorism offenses, and more domestic terror suspects were arrested in 2017 than those allegedly inspired by international terror groups, according to internal FBI figures reviewed by The Washington Post.
As government officials and activists debate the best way to pursue violent extremists, the figures show how much of counterterrorism work goes undeclared and unnoticed. Thousands are investigated each year. Hundreds are charged with crimes. But the public and the media see only dozens.
The debate centers on whether federal law and law enforcement are too focused on Islamic terrorism and not paying enough attention to the rise in far right-wing extremism. In fact, according to the data, more domestic terrorist targets are being charged, and in both categories, law enforcement often leverage simpler crimes, such as vio- lations of gun or drug laws, to prevent violence.
“It’s violence that we key in on,” said a senior law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive federal investigative work. “And sometimes, it’s the violence that motivates someone more than any particular ideology.”
The arrest last month of Coast Guard Lt. Chris- topher P. Hasson, 49, is the latest example of this pattern. Prosecutors have alleged Hasson is a white nationalist inspired in part by mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who in 2011 unleashed two attacks in Norway that killed 77 peo- ple. Hasson, who has been detained since his arrest, is accused of amassing weap- ons as part of a domestic terror plot targeting politicians and journalists. Authorities have highlighted a letter in which he allegedly wrote, “I am dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth.”
But as with most people arrested in FBI counterterrorism investigations, Hasson does not yet face terrorism charges. Rather, he was indicted on charges of illegal possession of firearm silencers, possession of firearms by a drug addict and unlawful user, and possession of a controlled substance.