The FBI calls them “homegrown violent extremists” — Americans who likely have never left the country, but have self-radicalized and aligned themselves with foreign terrorists groups. They can often plan violent attacks in hours or days, targeting people in their communities.
This emerging group is now the government’s primary concern in combating terrorism, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a gathering of hundreds of Utah law enforcement officers at the state’s National Security and Anti-Terrorism Conference in Salt Lake City on Wednesday.
Wray said the FBI is still concerned with foreign threats from groups like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS, but noted a growing number of cases where people in the United States have connected with terrorists online and adopted their ideals before carrying out acts of violence.