Lone Offenders Pose Largest Threat to U.S. National Security

A joint report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) details that as cases of domestic terrorism continue in the United States, lone offenders pose the greatest threat to national security.

Both agencies concluded in the report, “The greatest terrorism threat to the homeland we face today is posed by lone offenders, often radicalized online, who look to attack soft targets with easily accessible weapons. Many of these violent extremists are motivated and inspired by a mix of socio-political goals and personal grievances against their targets.”

After the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance stating that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned in a May 14, 2021 National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin that violent extremists could exploit the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and target large public gatherings and large venues to carry out attacks.

The DHS/FBI report conducted a Strategic Intelligence Assessment of domestic terrorism in the U.S. from 2017-2019. Each year’s assessment consists of a breakdown of how many domestic terrorism attacks were carried out, how many people were killed, and what the primary motivations were for the attacks. Over the course of these assessments, the agencies concluded that lone offenders are the most threatening extremists in the U.S.

Lone offenders can become radicalized to carry out attacks as they have access to online encrypted forums, easy access to weapons, and can be motivated by a number of factors including white supremacy, hatred towards the government for a number of reasons including COVID-19 restrictions, and “gamification,” according to the report.

Gamification is when fatality counts in attacks count as “scores” for attackers. The extremist strives to achieve the highest kill count possible when carrying out a terrorist attack.

The report explains, “Widely disseminated propaganda on online forums and encrypted chat applications that espouse similar themes regarding kill counts could inspire future attackers to mobilize faster or attempt increasingly lethal and more sophisticated attacks.”

According to the report, 2019 was “the most lethal year” for domestic violent extremist attacks since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed 160 people.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said of the report, “The report confirms what has been clear for some time: The greatest terrorist threat we face comes from radicalized lone offenders with easy access to weapons. They attack soft targets and have a variety of motivations, but a large majority of the most significant attacks have been carried out by white supremacist extremists.”