USA: A Government Accountability Office report published in late February found that the number of open domestic terrorism cases in the US more than tripled between 2013 and 2021, up 357% from that eight-year period (GAO) is more.
The watchdog organization urged the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to find ways to cooperate to prevent new attacks.
According to data provided by the FBI to the GAO, the number of open cases labeled as "domestic terrorism" was projected to increase from just 1,981 in 2013 to 9,049 by 2021.
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When compared to the first three years of that time period, the number of open cases actually decreased by 23%, but from 2016 to 2021, it increased by more than 490%.
The number of alleged terrorist plots foiled also nearly tripled, from 81 in 2014 to 456 in 2021.
Between 2010 and 2021, the DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis recorded only 231 incidents of domestic terrorism, of which 35% were attributed to "racially motivated" and 32% to "anti-government motivation". Gao Report.
Incidents are also trending towards becoming more deadly; Domestic terrorism was blamed for 0 deaths in 2011, but 32 in 2019.
The report regretted that the two law enforcement agencies use different definitions and metrics to track crimes falling under the same general category and called for closer cooperation between them.
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Additionally, it requests that both organizations establish processes for assessing the success of their teamwork.
In the US, according to the GAO, domestic terrorism is defined as "generally occurring in the US involving criminal acts dangerous to human life, intended to coerce a civilian population or to influence the conduct of a government". or appears with intent to influence."
However, the DHS "tracks incidents that it defines as attacks or conspiracies consistent with its definition," while the FBI tracks terrorist investigations and disruptions "consistent with its investigative mission."
The lack of a separate criminal charge for "domestic terrorism", according to officials, is a contributing factor in the issue. A Justice Department official acknowledged that compiling a list of US organizations that are explicitly labeled as "domestic terrorist organizations" would be "problematic" from a legal perspective.
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