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Homeland Security Issues Threat Notice

Homeland Security has issued a threat notice urging current and former law enforcement, and military members to scrub their social media accounts of information that would identify them as such.

While the notice says no specific threats have been received, it says one is possible -- better safe than sorry.

The notice is here. [More...]

The FBI and DHS are unaware of any specific, credible threats against the Homeland from homegrown violent extremists (HVEs), ISIL, or other violent extremist groups overseas in response to US military action in Iraq and pro-ISIL messaging.

Nevertheless, we continue to assess that violent extremists who support ISIL have demonstrated the capability to attempt attacks on US targets overseas with little-to-no warning. We further assess that—because of the individualized nature of the radicalization process—it is difficult to predict triggers that will contribute to HVEs attempting acts of violence. Moreover, HVEs who act independently -- lone offenders -- present law enforcement with limited opportunities to detect and disrupt plots, which frequently involve simple plotting against targets of opportunity.

... HVEs often attribute their mobilization to violence as resulting from longstanding grievances such as perceived anti-Muslim discrimination, US foreign policy, and US military actions, rather than a single event.

...ISIL’s English-language messaging has primarily been focused on calls for Muslims to travel to and support ISIL’s self-proclaimed caliphate. Individuals in support of ISIL are calling for attacks in the Homeland and against US interests abroad, though we do not assess these to be credible threats at this time. ISIL and its online supporters have employed—and will almost certainly continue—Twitter “hashtag” campaigns that have gained mainstream media attention and been able to quickly reach a global audience of potential violent extremists, highlighting ISIL’s supporter message and encouraging individuals to commit acts of violence, in Iraq or in the West.

On the terminology:

The FBI and DHS define an HVE as a person of any citizenship who has lived and/or operated primarily in the United States or its territories who advocates, is engaged in, or is preparing to engage in ideologically-motivated terrorist activities (including providing support to terrorism) in furtherance of political or social objectives promoted by a foreign terrorist organization, but is acting independently of direction by a foreign terrorist organization.

HVEs are distinct from traditional domestic terrorists who engage in unlawful acts of violence or to intimidate civilian populations or attempt to influence domestic policy without direction from or influence from a foreign actor.

The FBI and DHS define a lone offender as an individual motivated by one or more violent extremist ideologies who, operating alone, supports or engages in acts of violence in furtherance of that ideology or ideologies that may involve influence from a larger terrorist organization or a foreign actor.

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  • Display: Sort:
    I wish the security fear-mongers (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by leap on Mon Dec 01, 2014 at 12:38:01 PM EST
    would STOP using that fascist term, "homeland." Every time I see that I have a visceral, hateful reaction. Bush-era terminology has successfully taken over our political discourse.

    You would hate them even more (none / 0) (#2)
    by fishcamp on Mon Dec 01, 2014 at 02:36:13 PM EST
    if you lived down here in the keys, where they cruise around in go fast boats, with four monster outboard engines,  looking for helpless Cubans floating in, on inner tubes.  And using our tax dollars.  I'v seen them roar up on the teensy rafts, and soon one of the Homeland hotshots will run over some Cubans, or Haitians, and drown them.  Surprised it hasn't already happened.

    Parent
    kind of hard not to use that term (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Dec 01, 2014 at 09:08:02 PM EST
    when the agency is named the Department of Homeland Security.

    Parent
    'Homeland' (none / 0) (#4)
    by Tom in AZ on Thu Dec 04, 2014 at 08:39:39 PM EST
    My memories of this term are while it may have originated with the Bush bunch, it was the detestable Sen Joe Leiberman who could not stop saying it on every channel for weeks...

    Parent