FBI, DHS Warn Police on Homegrown Terrorists
July 29, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Antiterrorism officials are increasingly concerned about American-bred extremists who travel abroad for terror training and then return home, sometimes quietly recruiting followers over the years.
Federal authorities have issued a bulletin to law enforcement agencies around the country on the heels of the arrest Monday in North Carolina of a man whose devotion to the cause of violent jihad allegedly began 20 years ago.
The internal bulletin – reviewed by The Associated Press – says the FBI and the Homeland Security Department are very worried about the danger posed by little-noticed Americans traveling abroad to learn terrorism techniques, then coming back to the United States, where they may be dormant for long periods of time while they look for followers to recruit for future attacks.
On Monday, the FBI arrested Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, charging he was the ringleader of a group of aspiring international terrorists.
The charges “underscore our ongoing concerns about individuals returning to the United States after training or fighting on behalf of extremists overseas,” said Justice Department spokesman Richard Kolko.
“As a general matter, such individuals may be in a unique position to solicit others in the U.S. to follow their example, given their combat experience, their network of overseas contacts and their credibility among young radicals seeking an authority figure,” Kolko said.
Six other suspects – including Boyd’s two sons – were also charged in what prosecutors say was a long-running conspiracy to train for violence and then fight overseas.
Boyd’s wife, Sabrina, said in a statement Tuesday that the charges are unsubstantiated.
