US Justice Dept. Chief Says White Supremacists Top List Of Domestic Extremist Threats

US Justice Dept. Chief Says White Supremacists Top List of Domestic Extremist Threats

White supremacists top the list of domestic extremist threats in the United States, Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a congressional hearing on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th May, 2021) White supremacists top the list of domestic extremist threats in the United States, Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

"The top domestic violence extremist threat we face comes from racially or ethnically-motivated violent extremists, specifically those who advocate for the superiority of the white race," Garland said.

Garland, citing a March intelligence report, said domestic violent extremists pose an elevated threat in 2021.

Garland cited both his experiences with past cases of domestic terrorism like the Oklahoma City bombing and more recent cases like the shooting of Latinos in an El Paso Walmart, Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and black churchgoers in Charleston.

He added that anti-government and anti-authority extremists - those in the vein of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, whom Garland investigated and prosecuted - likewise pose an elevated domestic threat to the country.

The hearing, which dealt with the issue of violent domestic extremism in the US more generally, also touched on how the Justice and Homeland Security departments are combating the growing threat, both among the public and in their own ranks.