FOX NEWS....A spike in domestic terrorism and attacks by American citizens directed from overseas are top concerns for police departments across the country, according to a new survey by the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.
“Homegrown and foreign-directed jihadi terrorism and radicalization are perceived as a real threat by local law enforcement in the United States,” the report, “Counterterrorism Intelligence: Law Enforcement Perspectives,” says. The survey covered the police intelligence chiefs for the 56 largest cities in the U.S. in advance of the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The survey identifies 21 homegrown terrorism cases from Sept. 11, 2001 through May of 2009, but 31 cases in the last two years alone -- more than one new case of homegrown terrorism every month.
After 9/11, the U.S. intelligence community believed there needed to be person-to-person contact for an individual to cross the threshold to violence. Now, it may be possible to do it virtually (on the internet Al-Qaeda websites). Social networking is creating a new generation of digital jihadists.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, also speaking at the event, acknowledged that the web is the driver of radical Islam and the new generation of Al Qaeda 2.0.
Philip Mudd, a fellow at the liberal New America foundation who worked in the counterterrorism world for more than two decades and served in both the Bush and Obama administrations, told Fox News that marrying the federal, state and local law enforcement systems was not an easy task.
“We need to have standard rules and regulations about if we get something in San Francisco can we give it to Topekam” he said. Mudd added that Al Qaeda has evolved and homegrown plots are the latest manifestation. He said it is unlikely the number of cases has peaked.
“This is a new art form (internet terrorism) and it's not even the art form we would have had five or six years ago,” Mudd said referring to intelligence analysis. “This homegrown phenomenon is really only about three or four years old. So it's not just how do we respond after 10 years of the terrorism problem, it's how do we respond to the problem of the Al Qaeda revolution (on the internet) when we're not even dealing with Al Qaeda members anymore.”
"Shut Down Al-Qaeda Websites" says Private Eye Bill Warner; Congressional Hearing “Extent of Radicalization Among American Muslims”, Rep. Gus Bilirakis Mentions Al-Qaeda Website Hosted In Tampa Fl and Shut Down by PI Bill Warner.
During the Congressional Hearing on the “Extent of Radicalization Among American Muslims”, Rep. Gus Bilirakis Mentioned the Al-Qaeda Website that was Hosted In Tampa Fl and Shut Down (by PI Bill Warner).
TAMPA TRIBUNE “Investigator Links 3rd Jihadist Web Site To Tampa Host”. Tampa continues to be the focus of an international game of Internet whack-a-mole between jihadists who put up Web sites and organizations and individuals who try to shut them down.
For the third time in a month, Sarasota-based private investigator Bill Warner has tracked to a Tampa hosting company what investigators call a significant Web site used by jihadists for communications, recruitment and fundraising. The company is based in the same building as the U.S. attorney’s office.
The site, http://www.alekhlaas.info/, appears to show images of mujahedeen firing on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, among other images. The Web site was hosted by Noc4Hosts Inc. until it was taken down this month after a call from The Tampa Tribune.
Bill Warner, who says he tracks jihadists online to disrupt their activities, says he noticed today that the site once again is being hosted by Noc4Hosts. Previous incarnations of the Web site have contained programs to give jihadists more secure communications capabilities.
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