In a statement Tuesday, Biden said the National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism aims to improve the government’s analysis and information sharing of domestic terrorism to law enforcement agencies on all levels.
Preventing the recruitment of terrorists, their ability to mobilize, and thwarting and disrupting their activities, are also key elements of the strategy, the president said.
The plan also aims to “address the long-term contributors” to domestic terrorism such as “racial, ethnic and religious hatred.”
“Domestic terrorism – driven by hate, bigotry, and other forms of extremism— is a stain on the soul of America. It goes against everything our country strives for and it poses a direct challenge to our national security, democracy, and unity,” Biden said in the statement.
The strategy was released more than six months after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win, which Trump has refused to acknowledge.
Violent extremists in the U.S. posed an increased threat in 2021, with white supremacist organizations and anti-government militias presenting the highest risk, according to officials who cited a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
