US faces threat of ‘politically motivated violence’

WASHINGTON: The US Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin on Wednesday, warning of a lingering potential for violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after President Joe Biden’s election, suggesting the Jan 6 riot at the Capitol may embolden extremists and set the stage for additional attacks.

The department did not cite any specific plots, but pointed to a heightened threat environment across the United States that it believes will persist for weeks after Biden’s Jan 20 inauguration.

It is not uncommon for the federal government to warn local law enforcement through bulletins about the prospect for violence tied to a particular event or date, such as July 4.

But this particular bulletin, issued through the department’s National Terrorism Advisory System, is notable because it effectively places the Biden administration into the politically charged debate over how to describe or characterise acts motivated by political ideology, and suggests it regards violence like the kind that overwhelmed the Capitol as akin to terrorism.

The bulletin is an indication that national security officials see a connective thread between different episodes of violence in the last year motivated by anti-government grievances, including over Covid-19 restrictions, the election results and use of force by police. The document singles out crimes motivated by racial or ethnic hatred, such as the 2019 rampage targeting Hispanics in El Paso, Texas, as well as the threat posed by extremists motivated by foreign terror groups.

A DHS statement that accompanied the bulletin noted the potential for violence from a broad range of ideologically-motivated actors.

Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fuelled by false narratives, could continue to mobilise, to incite or commit violence, the bulletin said.

Tense time

The alert comes at a tense time following the riot at the Capitol by supporters of then-president Donald Trump seeking to overturn the presidential election. Authorities are concerned that extremists may attack other symbols of government or people whose political views they oppose.

The domestic terrorism attack on our Capitol earlier this month shined a light on a threat that has been right in front of our faces for years, said Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. I am glad to see that DHS fully recognizes the threat posed by violent, right-wing extremists and is taking efforts to communicate that threat to the American people.

The alert was issued by acting Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske. Bidens nominee for the Cabinet post, Alejandro Mayorkas, has not been confirmed by the Senate.