07-28-2011, 11:03 AM
The bombing and shooting spree in Norway on Friday has raised questions about whether federal law enforcement agencies in the United States are devoting enough resources and attention to the threat posed by right-wing extremists here. On the alert for such threats posed by white supremacists and members of a sovereign citizen movement that rejects government authority and militias, law enforcement officials around the country have reportedly asked for budget increases to handle the task.
Yet analysts who track extremist activity claim that the threat posed by right-wing extremists in the United States is on the rise and that federal law enforcement agencies may not be giving them enough resources or attention.
Right-wing extremist activity increased in 2008 and 2009 and has stayed persistent in 2010 and 2011, says former DHS domestic terror analyst Daryl Johnson, who founded a consulting firm that tracks extremist activity. He produced the 2009 report that created a political firestorm after it warned of a surge in right-wing extremism due to the election of the country's first black president and the economic recession.
Johnson says extremists have been active, with several shootings in the past several months. He says the militia movement "exploded" over the last two years and that groups have been "stockpiling weapons and plotting to kill government officials in Michigan and Alaska."
"A Norway incident could definitely happen here; the same things that played into the Norway suspect's mindset are here in this country," Johnson said. "If anything, extremists are much more capable of committing violent acts here due to their access to weapons and ammunition, which they don't have in Europe."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/28...11102.html
Yet analysts who track extremist activity claim that the threat posed by right-wing extremists in the United States is on the rise and that federal law enforcement agencies may not be giving them enough resources or attention.
Right-wing extremist activity increased in 2008 and 2009 and has stayed persistent in 2010 and 2011, says former DHS domestic terror analyst Daryl Johnson, who founded a consulting firm that tracks extremist activity. He produced the 2009 report that created a political firestorm after it warned of a surge in right-wing extremism due to the election of the country's first black president and the economic recession.
Johnson says extremists have been active, with several shootings in the past several months. He says the militia movement "exploded" over the last two years and that groups have been "stockpiling weapons and plotting to kill government officials in Michigan and Alaska."
"A Norway incident could definitely happen here; the same things that played into the Norway suspect's mindset are here in this country," Johnson said. "If anything, extremists are much more capable of committing violent acts here due to their access to weapons and ammunition, which they don't have in Europe."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/28...11102.html
