The bulletin, issued through the National Terrorism Advisory System, says that domestic violent extremists and white supremacists have been looking for “civil disorder” as an opportunity to commit violent acts “in furtherance of ideological objectives.” That includes targeting protests about “racial justice grievances and police use of force concerns, potentially targeting protestors perceived to be ideological opponents,” the bulletin reads. This is the second threat bulletin DHS has issued in 2021 regarding the threat from far-right extremists. In January, after the Capitol insurrection, DHS issued a warning saying that the Jan. 6 attack had “emboldened” white supremacist extremists and that the threat of violent attacks would likely remain high throughout the year. That’s led to a sprawling DOJ investigation into the matter, as FBI agents continue to pore over video from the attack to try to identify rioters. Since then, the Biden administration has said that it will make combatting domestic violent extremism a priority. That has thus far come in the form of DHS initiatives aimed at increasing prevention and detection of those who might be willing to commit acts of political violence. The FBI also released a report on Friday about the threat from domestic violent extremists, saying that the bureau arrested 846 people for domestic terrorism-related crimes between 2015 and 2019. The bureau also said that, over the same time period, it had produced more than 4,000 domestic terrorism-related intelligence products. The DHS bulletin centers the role of the internet in motivating domestic terrorists, noting that random people online can call for violence against politicians and “perceived ideologically-opposed individuals” and find an audience receptive to those demands.
via talkingpointsmemo: DHS Warns BLM That Protests Are ‘Likely’ Target Of Far-right Extremists