The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security revealed that a “significant” part of the massive rise in domestic terrorism investigations between 2020 and 2021 is related to the Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol riot.
The bureau and the DHS revealed the FBI was conducting approximately 1,400 pending domestic terrorism investigations as of the end of fiscal 2020 and was conducting roughly 2,700 domestic terrorism investigations by the end of fiscal 2021 — an increase of 1,300 domestic terrorism cases.
The newly released strategic and intelligence assessment on domestic terrorism released this week revealed that “a significant portion” of the 2021 investigations “were directly related to the unlawful activities during the January 2021 siege on the U.S. Capitol.”
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The new report said the FBI arrested approximately 180 domestic terrorism subjects in 2020, while it arrested roughly 800 such subjects in 2021.
The DHS and FBI report included a summary of the Capitol riot investigation, stating that “more than 725 individuals were arrested” by the end of last year. The report indicated that “more than 225 subjects were charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees” by the end of 2021 and that “approximately 640 subjects were charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds” while “dozens of subjects were charged with conspiracy.”
The Justice Department said this week that more than 880 people have been arrested in relation to the Capitol riot in the 21 months since the event, including more than 270 defendants charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The DOJ said that “the investigation remains ongoing.”
“One of the most significant terrorism threats to the Homeland we face today is posed by lone offenders and small groups of individuals who commit acts of violence motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances,” the new FBI and DHS report concluded. “Of these actors, domestic violent extremists represent one of the most persistent threats to the United States today.”
The new report said the FBI received approximately 5,669 referrals of possible domestic terrorism incidents in 2020, while it received roughly 8,375 such referrals in 2021. The FBI passed along approximately 1,287 possible domestic terrorism incidents to federal, state, or local partners in 2021, while it made roughly 1,399 such referrals in 2021.
The eGuardian system is the FBI’s case management system, and the bureau said it converted approximately 747 Guardian incidents to preliminary or full domestic terrorism investigations in 2020, while it did the same for roughly 1,525 in 2021.
The new report also provided a breakdown of the types of domestic terrorism investigations in 2020, compared to 2021.
The FBI said “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism” made up 40% of domestic terrorism investigations in 2020 and 19% in 2021, “anti-government or anti-authority violent extremism” made up 37% of such investigations in 2020 and 38% in 2021, and “anti-riot laws / civil unrest” made up 17% of investigations in 2020 versus 31% in 2021.
Large protests swept across the U.S. in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd, often accompanied by rioting, looting, arson, and violence, while the Capitol riot occurred on Jan. 6, 2021. Republicans have repeatedly argued the Justice Department has prioritized Capitol riot prosecutions over investigations into 2020’s riots.
“Those involved must be held accountable, and there is no higher priority for us at the Department of Justice,” Garland said of the Capitol riot just before its anniversary in January, calling the inquiry “one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history.”
Matt Olsen, the assistant attorney general in charge of the DOJ’s National Security Division, announced the creation of a new “domestic terrorism unit” in January.
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Jill Sanborn, the executive assistant director of the FBI’s national security branch, referred to “2020 and the violence that we all saw around the peaceful protests” during January testimony and said the bureau had opened “slightly more than 800 cases” related to domestic terrorism tied to the 2020 riots.
Sanborn is appearing for a transcribed interview with the House Judiciary Committee in December to discuss the FBI’s handling of domestic terrorism cases.
