Following a briefing by the FBI today on the Fort Dix terrorism case, Senator Susan Collins spoke about the disruption of this homegrown terror plot and the ongoing investigation of the Senate Homeland Security Committee into the threat of violent Islamist radicalization to the United States.
“Our homeland security efforts have made it increasingly difficult for foreign terrorist to infiltrate and operate in the United States. Increased border security and screening of overseas airline passengers do not, however, protect us from homegrown terrorists. The rise of domestic terrorist groups inspired by but not directly linked to Al Qaeda – such as the men who planned to attack Fort Dix – is an emerging threat to our nation’s security,” said Senator Collins. “Our hearing tomorrow will focus on the coordinated efforts of government agencies to counter the threat posed by those who want to radicalize people already in our country in order to promote attacks on this nation, our military, and our citizens.”
“The Fort Dix case demonstrates that the combined efforts of federal and local law enforcement, homeland security agencies, and the average American citizen are essential to thwart terrorists’ attacks. An alert citizen contacted local law enforcement, who then worked with the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force to avert what could have been a very serious attack,” said Senator Collins.
Senator Collins is the Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which is investigating homegrown radicalization. As part of that investigation, Senator Collins first chaired a hearing last year on radicalization in American prisons. Last week, the Committee held a hearing on the use of the Internet to spread radicalizing messages to groups like this one in New Jersey. Tomorrow, the Committee is scheduled to hold its fourth hearing of this Congress on the government’s efforts to fight violent Islamic extremism in the U.S.
As part of the Committee investigation, Senator Collins has also been in touch with European anti-terrorism agencies to learn from their experiences with homegrown terrorism.
Tomorrow’s Committee hearing will include testimony from the Department of State, Department of the Treasury, FBI, and U.S. Agency for International Development.
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