In the wake of recent mass shootings in Chattanooga, Tenn., Charleston, S.C., and Roseburg, Ore., the Department of Justice is getting more serious about countering the increasing threats of domestic terrorism.
Speaking at George Washington University on Wednesday, John Carlin, head of the department’s national security division, announced the creation of a new position.
The new domestic terrorism counsel will serve “as our main point of contact for U.S. attorneys working on domestic terrorism matters,” Carlin said.
The position, he continued, will “ensure that we are gaining the benefits of the information and input from those eyes on the ground from around the country.”
The new lawyer, who the DOJ declined to name, will assist the department in identifying trends “to help shape our strategy, and to analyze legal gaps or enhancements required to ensure we can combat these threats.”
Carlin noted the threats posed by homegrown terrorists, who are radicalized over the Internet by groups like ISIS, and also from other radicals such as white supremacists.
“Looking back over the past few years, it is clear that domestic terrorists and homegrown violent extremists remain a real and present danger to the United States,” he said. “We recognize that, over the past few years, more people have died in this country in attacks by domestic extremists than in attacks associated with international terrorist groups.”