Domestic Terrorist Tactics And Targets.pdf

- Weapon Preference: Firearms were the most common weapon used in fatal attacks by far-right, far-left, and Salafi-jihadist terrorists in the U.S. over the past five years.
- Target Preference:
- Far-right extremists: Individuals based on ethnicity, race, or religion (e.g., African Americans, Latinos, Jews, Muslims).
- Far-left extremists: Government, military, and police targets.
- Salafi-jihadists: Similar to far-left, targeting government, military, and police.
- Recent Cases:
- Steven Carrillo (May 29, 2020): Used a firearm to kill a security officer in Oakland, CA.
- Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari (May 24, 2020): Purchased firearms to conduct mass-casualty attacks in Tampa, FL.
- John Michael Rathbun (April 15, 2020): Placed an improvised explosive device outside a Jewish assisted-living residence.
- Willem Van Spronsen (July 13, 2019): Attacked a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center with an AR-15 and attempted to ignite a propane tank.
- Findings:
- Reactive, defensive measures alone are insufficient to stop domestic terrorism due to widespread availability of weapons like firearms.
- Proactive measures are needed, such as targeting extremist ideologies on social media and improving local intelligence.
- Definitions: Terrorism is defined as the deliberate use of violence by non-state actors to achieve political goals. It's categorized into right-wing, left-wing, religious, and ethnonationalist.