Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urges studies to understand motives of terrorists: "What really is it that draws a young person being raised in the United States to want to go and be at a camp in Yemen and then come back to the United States with the idea of committing harm within the United States?"
-- From "‘Homegrown’ Terrorism Threat Grew in Past Year, Napolitano Says" by Jeff Bliss, Bloomberg, posted at Business Week 2/22/10
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the threat of “homegrown” terrorism increased during the past year and more U.S. citizens or legal residents are “becoming radicalized to the point of violence.”
Napolitano, speaking yesterday during a panel discussion at a meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, said the U.S. doesn’t have a co-ordinated plan for stopping the spread of militancy.
“We really don’t have a very good handle on how you prevent someone from becoming a violent extremist,” she said. Napolitano recommended studying efforts in foreign countries and states such as Minnesota to expand contacts with Muslim and immigrant communities.
The panel included White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan and former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who discussed the importance of providing state and local officials with access to information about terrorist threats.
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From "Homeland chief: Domestic extremism is top concern" by Eileen Sullivan, The Associated Press 2/21/10
Americans who turn to terrorism and plot against the U.S. are now as big a concern as international terrorists, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday.
The government is just starting to confront this reality and does not have a good handle on how to prevent someone from becoming a violent extremist, she said.
John Brennan, President Barack Obama's homeland security adviser, echoed Napolitano's concerns about violent extremism Sunday.
The White House hosted a meeting to discuss these issues Friday, Brennan said.
"There needs to be community engagement," he said.
The government has been engaged in this sort of outreach for years. Homeland Security officials have periodic meetings with Muslim communities. And FBI agents in certain parts of the country regularly reach out to Muslim communities and leaders.
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