US facing rising threat from homegrown terrorism

By Kasim Ileri

WASHINGTON (AA) – Homegrown terrorism is an increasing threat to the U.S., the country’s Homeland Security chief warned Tuesday.

Jeh Johnson asked Congress for more resources for counter-messaging, during testimony before a Senate committee in which he told lawmakers the “global terrorist threat” has now evolved into “terrorist directed” and “terrorist inspired” threats against the American homeland.

“We now have a new category which we refer to as terrorist enabled attacks, which is something in between terrorist directed and terrorist inspired, and every once in a while, something we refer to as terrorist validated, where a terrorist organization may take credit for something after the attack,” he said.

Johnson's comments follow bombings in New York and New Jersey and, a stabbing attack in Minnesota earlier this month.

Self-radicalization through social media and other Internet-based sources makes it more complicated for his agency to deal with the issue, according to Johnson.

To address the challenge, he said, “building community partnerships, particularly with American Muslim communities,” would be crucial.

He urged community leaders and the technology sector to “partner to develop that positive counter-message.

“It can make a difference to build bridges in terms of grant making activity, resources, and the like,” he said.

The secretary said Congress has given his department $10 million for countering violent extremism but said that it did not “go very far.

“We need more of that,” he said.

Testifying alongside Johnson was FBI Director James Comey who told lawmakers that investigations into the New Jersey and New York attacks do not “point to a larger cell or threat of repeated attack.”

In addition to his concerns about homegrown extremism, Comey said foreign fighters would eventually flow out of Syria and Iraq into other countries.

"There will be a terrorist diaspora sometime in the next two to five years like we've never seen before," Comey said.

Currently dozens of Americans are believed to have joined Daesh in Syria and Iraq.