Washington – Plots by American-based Islamic terrorists with no direct ties to international terror networks form a large and growing threat to the American homeland, FBI and other security officials say.
“The trend we’re seeing is that we are uncovering more instances of people here who have been radicalized … where there is not a direct thumbprint of al-Qaeda,” says John Miller, the FBI’s assistant director for public affairs.
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Justice Department records show that the FBI and other federal and local agencies have led prosecutions of a dozen such alleged plots since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington. The latest began last Tuesday, when five New Jersey Muslim men were charged with plotting to kill soldiers at the Army’s Fort Dix, N.J., compound. A sixth man was charged with helping the group obtain illegal firearms. [usatoday]