The US White House issued a national strategy to combat what it described as domestic terrorism, 5 months after the storming of the US Congress by extremist right-wing groups and supporters of former President Donald Trump.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that this strategy lays out a comprehensive approach to protecting the American people from terrorism while safeguarding basic civil rights and liberties.
The new strategy comes in light of the security services warning of the growing threat of extremist groups, especially after the storming of the Congress headquarters early this year, despite the questions it raises about its feasibility in light of the absence of a legal system and the persistence of political divisions in the country.
Biden said that this strategy lays out a comprehensive approach to protecting the American people (French)
federal effort
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the national strategy was designed to coordinate the efforts of the federal government and provide a major pathway to address the growing domestic terrorism threat using all available tools.
And it is the culmination of an effort carried out at the direction of the president by every federal agency in the government, from the Department of Justice to the Department of Homeland Security and Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and others.
The new strategy revolves around 4 elements related to understanding and sharing information on what is described as terrorism with a focus on social media, preventing the recruitment of supporters, inciting violence, and undermining and deterring terrorist activities and confronting their long-term motives.
The US Department of Justice warns that homegrown extremists pose a growing threat to the country, especially those who believe in white supremacy and extremist anti-government militias, according to a report published by intelligence and security agencies last March.
But the strategy of President Joe Biden's administration is devoid of proposals for new legislation related to enacting laws to combat and criminalize what it describes as terrorism.
"Although we have a definition of domestic terrorism, we don't have the law we need to prosecute these cases," Richard Choprell, a former FBI agent and expert on counterterrorism, commented on the details.
He explained that trials often take place under the umbrella of murder, hate crimes and the like, but not according to laws related to domestic terrorism.
Lawmakers and human rights activists fear that any new laws related to what is described as domestic terrorism will violate freedom of expression and civil rights guaranteed by the constitution, at a time when political divisions between Democrats and Republicans over the far-right make it difficult to enact new legislation.
The role of the Pentagon
And US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged that the Pentagon would do its part to support the national strategy announced by the White House to combat domestic terrorism represented by groups that believe in the superiority of the white race.
Austin stressed that the issuance of the first-ever national strategy to combat domestic terrorism is a milestone in his country's efforts to address a serious and growing security threat.
The White House had confirmed that the strategy lays out a comprehensive approach to address the phenomenon, without compromising basic civil rights and liberties.