Homeland security warns of heightened domestic terror threat after US Capitol attack

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The US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday issued a national terrorism bulletin warning of the lingering potential for violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after Joe Biden’s election.

The bulletin suggests the riot by a mob of Donald Trump supporters at the US Capitol on 6 January may embolden extremists and set the stage for additional attacks.

DHS did not cite any specific plots, but pointed to “a heightened threat environment across the United States” that it believes “will persist” for weeks.

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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 the Fourth of July holiday. 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 characterize acts motivated by political ideology and suggests that it sees violence aimed at overturning the election as akin to terrorism.

The wording of the document also suggests that national security officials see a connective thread between recent violence over the last year motivated by anti-government grievances, including Covid-19 restrictions, the 2020 election results and police use of force. It also singles out racially motivated acts of violence such as the 2019 rampage targeting Latinos in El Paso, Texas, as well as the threat posed by extremists motivated by foreign terrorist organizations.

“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 fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence,” the bulletin said.

A DHS statement that accompanied the bulletin noted the potential for violence from “a broad range of ideologically-motivated actors”. It also noted violent riots in “recent days”, an apparent reference to events in Portland, Oregon, linked to anarchist groups.

“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 the congressman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who is the chair of the House homeland security committee. “I am glad to see that DHS fully recognizes the threat posed by violent, rightwing extremists and is taking efforts to communicate that threat to the American people.”