Homegrown Terrorists

Homegrown terror: Revisiting the path to domestic radicalization

Last month marked the nine-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks against the United States. As we reflect upon the strikes that took nearly 3,000 lives, recent events remind us of the ongoing struggle to protect the American homeland from further acts of terror. As every month seems to usher in the revelation of a new terror plot hatched within our nation’s borders, we are reminded of the vigilance necessary to combat the dangers posed by radical Islamist ideologies.

Over the past fifteen months, 23 cases involving 56 individuals, both citizens of the United States and foreign nationals of legal residency, have been uncovered while in various stages of development. The groups and individuals captured over the past year and a half derived their inspiration, and often direction, from al-Qaeda, its affiliates, and the broader Islamist fundamentalist movement.