Fear Over U.S.-Born Extremists Is Brewing
WASHINGTON — When security cameras captured four young Britons sauntering into the London Underground before detonating their deadly backpacks last month, the chilling images raised questions about whether such homegrown sleeper terrorists could be plotting attacks in the United States.
U.S. counter-terrorism officials say there is no evidence that such would-be terrorists exist in large numbers in the United States, or that any of them are in the operational stages of a plot. And some U.S. officials and experts downplay the threat such domestic militants might pose to Americans.
But some senior authorities say there is enough anecdotal evidence to warrant concern, and suggest that whatever radicalized the British bombers could presumably also motivate Americans who have embraced Islamic extremist views expressed on websites and chat rooms, in radical mosques and elsewhere.
Terrorism investigators worry particularly about the American-born children of immigrants from countries known to harbor international terrorists or their training camps. An ability to move easily between cultures, and to travel widely on U.S. passports, would give such citizens a unique set of skills should they pursue terrorist intentions.
"These are second-generation Americans, people who grew up here, were educated here or were raised in this country and are now adopting this extremist view, and are now viewing their home country as the enemy," said Joseph Billy Jr., who heads the FBI's international counter-terrorism operations.
"You are talking about people who are actually here and living in the country and view us as the enemy," Billy said in an interview. "If the [terrorist] message is so strong that these people are willing to travel overseas and take up weapons, when are they going to be ready to cross the line?"
Efforts to identify and intercept anyone crossing that line have led to at least several ongoing domestic investigations, authorities confirmed in interviews. Some have resulted in arrests and prosecutions, and some have fallen apart or been downgraded to minor immigration violations.
Those not convinced that a significant domestic threat exists said most Muslim immigrants to the United States don't face the same degree of economic hardship and cultural isolation that their counterparts in Europe have endured for decades and that are thought to contribute to radicalization.
