FBI watching for ‘homegrown' terrorists

WASHINGTON — Eight years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — and just days after a terror plot was thwarted in Texas — the nation's top anti-terrorist officials told Congress on Wednesday that they are as worried about “homegrown” terrorists as they are about threats from abroad.FBI Director Robert Mueller said al-Qaida is recruiting longtime, legal residents of the United States to carry out terror attacks in the country, and the Internet is providing an avenue for people — who are otherwise not affiliated with anti-American groups — to “self-radicalize.”Testifying before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mueller and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stressed that terrorism is a threat throughout the country, not just in landmark cities like New York and Washington.
“These events can happen anywhere in our country at any time,” Napolitano said. “We cannot limit our efforts to a few urban areas.”Houston law enforcement officials said after the hearing that they have considered homegrown terrorism threat for years and are working to prevent an attack on potential targets, including ports, oil refineries and the Johnson Space Center.“Too many local law enforcement people think the only way they can address homeland security is by being concerned about what's going on in foreign countries or what's coming to us from foreign countries,” said Bob Doguim, the chief of homeland security and emergency management at the Harris County Sheriff's Department. “But we address our homeland security from a different perspective.”Mueller said that while foreign al-Qaida operatives are still determined to attack the U.S., his bureau is devoting increased attention to the specter of “homegrown” terrorism perpetrated by American natives or legal permanent residents.“Several FBI terrorism subjects with no known connections to overseas groups have taken steps to move from violent rhetoric to action,” Mueller said. He said these “lone wolves” are more difficult to detect than terrorist groups because they operate quietly and independently. Often they get their inspiration and training online, rather than in person.But should they travel to Pakistan, Yemen, or Somalia for further training, their status as legal residents of the U.S. makes it easy to come and go...more..http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6645914.html