Republican Controlled HSD Omits Right-Wing Threats

The Homeland Security Department is neglecting white supremacists, violent militiamen, anti-abortion bombers and other extremists to focus on environmental and animal rights groups who could potentially support al-Qaida as domestic terror threats.

WASHINGTON - The Homeland Security Department is focusing on possible terror threats from radical environmental and animal rights activists without also examining risks that might be posed by right-wing extremists, House Democrats said Tuesday.
A recent internal Homeland Security document lists the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front with a few Islamic groups that could potentially support al-Qaida as domestic terror threats.

The document does not address threats posed by white supremacists, violent militiamen, anti-abortion bombers and other extremists that Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., called "right-wing hate groups."

Bennie G. Thompson (D- MS), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

"As the Department of Homeland Security implements a plan to focus on risk as a means of allocating scarce anti- terrorism resources, it must consider the threat that right-wing domestic terrorists pose to critical infrastructure and America. It must re-define what it considers to be critical infrastructure by re-evaluating the risk that right-wing domestic terrorist's pose to schools, large churches, or other public places. Better coordination and sharing of information between the FBI and DHS may be necessary in order to evaluate these risks."

Congressman Bennie G. Thompson continues ...

A recent internal Homeland Security document lists the Animal Liberation Front and the Earth Liberation Front with a few Islamic groups that could potentially support al-Qaida as domestic terror threats.
ALF and ELF "are the left-leaning groups that they identified," said Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee. "But they absolutely left out any of the other groups."

"If your responsibility is to protect the homeland from these domestic terrorists, then you have an obligation to identify all of them not just some o

Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse ....

Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the internal document which was not meant for public distribution identifies only general categories of threats and vulnerabilities, and is not meant to be a comprehensive list.
"Other classified threat and vulnerability assessments that guide our day-to-day operations and planning are more specific and identify more detailed information," Roehrkasse said.

I agree with the Congressman the DHS need to evaluate all threats. Right wing hate groups should be at the top of the list, with extreme rhetoric coming from leading right wingers hate groups might take their lead and act on their rhetoric.