Posted on Aug 18, 2022
Anti-government threats are up, but it's tough to assess them
641
28
10
9
9
0
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/ [login to see] /anti-government-threats-are-up-but-its-tough-to-assess-them
Shortly after news broke that federal agents had executed a court-authorized search for documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Rita Katz said she and her team jumped online.
Katz, the founder and executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist communities online, said they were primarily interested in what discussions looked like in spaces frequented by the far right, such as Telegram, Gab and Truth Social.
"What we saw were calls for civil war," said Katz. "Calls such as, 'This is what the Second Amendment stands for,' and asking then, 'When does the shooting start?'"
In the days after, a man was killed in a standoff with the FBI after he attempted to attack the agency's field office in Cincinnati. The U.S. Department of Justice has also charged a man in Pennsylvania with threatening federal law enforcement officers after he allegedly posted violent statements online.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint intelligence bulletin highlighting the escalation in violent rhetoric against their agencies and employees.
Shortly after news broke that federal agents had executed a court-authorized search for documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Rita Katz said she and her team jumped online.
Katz, the founder and executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist communities online, said they were primarily interested in what discussions looked like in spaces frequented by the far right, such as Telegram, Gab and Truth Social.
"What we saw were calls for civil war," said Katz. "Calls such as, 'This is what the Second Amendment stands for,' and asking then, 'When does the shooting start?'"
In the days after, a man was killed in a standoff with the FBI after he attempted to attack the agency's field office in Cincinnati. The U.S. Department of Justice has also charged a man in Pennsylvania with threatening federal law enforcement officers after he allegedly posted violent statements online.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a joint intelligence bulletin highlighting the escalation in violent rhetoric against their agencies and employees.
Anti-government threats are up, but it's tough to assess them
Posted from npr.org
Government
Threat
National Security
FBI
DOJ
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
6
6
0
The post on the White Nationalist forum stormfront.org are getting more and more extreme.
(6)
(0)
2
2
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""There is often a brief period of time between radicalization and mobilization to violence that law enforcement has an opportunity to interdict that individual. And that brief moment is such a small window," said Harvin. "We've seen where people go from radicalization to mobilization of violence very, very quickly."
The legal and practical constraints behind identifying and stopping domestic terrorist attacks have many in the counter-extremism space looking to actors other than law enforcement.
Katz, who has monitored terrorist threats since before 9/11, said she would like to see more focus on the technology companies that facilitate alt-social media platforms where the most violent rhetoric is commonplace. Specifically, she said companies that provide hosting, website security and domain registration should be pressured into dropping clients whose services incite violence.
"Otherwise, it's just going to continue to grow," she said."
...""There is often a brief period of time between radicalization and mobilization to violence that law enforcement has an opportunity to interdict that individual. And that brief moment is such a small window," said Harvin. "We've seen where people go from radicalization to mobilization of violence very, very quickly."
The legal and practical constraints behind identifying and stopping domestic terrorist attacks have many in the counter-extremism space looking to actors other than law enforcement.
Katz, who has monitored terrorist threats since before 9/11, said she would like to see more focus on the technology companies that facilitate alt-social media platforms where the most violent rhetoric is commonplace. Specifically, she said companies that provide hosting, website security and domain registration should be pressured into dropping clients whose services incite violence.
"Otherwise, it's just going to continue to grow," she said."
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
Well Truth Social is turning over any account information on accounts that make threats to the FBI...I guess they lost their safe space??? *shrug*
(2)
(0)
SP5 Renee Reif
we're supposed to argue our differences at the ballot box, not threaten violence to those who disagree....
(1)
(0)
SFC (Join to see)
SP5 Renee Reif - ok and? I never said it was ok to threaten violence. I was simply making fun of the far right and their use of Truth Social as a "safe space" to be their belligerent violent selves but now that's gone and they're being given up.
(2)
(0)
SP5 Renee Reif
SFC (Join to see) - I wasn't criticizing your post. It's just where my thought was in the moment on Chip's original post.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google