BY:Â
Jihadist threats from homegrown terrorists in America continue to increase each month, with at least nine foreign born individuals living in the United States arrested or convicted in June of attempting to launch attacks on behalf of ISIS and other global terrorist organizations, according to newly released information by Congress.
“Cases of homegrown Islamist extremism in the U.S. continue to be an issue of concern,” according to the House Homeland Security Committee’s monthly report of terrorism in America, which has been tracking an increase in homegrown jihadists for some time. “Since 2013, there have been 154 homegrown jihadist cases in the United States” from at least 30 different states.
The information highlights the ongoing threat posed by rogue jihadists influenced by international terror groups, but not necessarily directly tied to them, which makes these would-be attackers more difficult to track for federal authorities.
The committee’s monthly report has tracked an uptick in this activity for some time, highlighting the federal government’s difficulty in thwarting terror plots across America. Domestic terror threats in the United States also have grown due to an even greater number of Western jihadists operating in Europe, where it is much easier to travel freely into the United States.
At least nine would-be jihadists were arrested or convicted of terror plots in June alone, amounting to more than one per week, according to the House report.
On June 20 alone, three would-be jihadists either pleaded guilty or were sentenced to providing material support to jihadists. The terrorists were in New York City, Ohio, and Alabama.
Domestic terror convictions and sentencing also occurred on June 1, June 4, June 11, June 13, June 21, and June 25, according to the report.
At least 10 plots were foiled in Europe over the same period.
A full list of those arrested and convicted in June, as well as a summary of other Western terror plots can be found in the committee’s full report, found here.
