SERIOUS THREAT

FBI Agents Urge Congress to Classify Domestic Terrorism as Federal Crime

The FBI Agents Association said domestic terrorism is “a threat to the American people and our democracy.”

The FBI Agents Association wants the U.S. to classify domestic terrorism as a federal crime, saying in a statement it poses “a threat to the American people and our democracy.” FBIAA President Brian O’Hare said in the statement that any violent act meant to influence government policy or intimidate populations of people should be deemed domestic terrorism and prosecuted as such, Politico reports. If Congress makes domestic terrorism a federal crime, O’Hare says the designation “would ensure that FBI Agents and prosecutors have the best tools to fight domestic terrorism.” The statement comes in the aftermath of two mass shootings that killed more than 30 people over the weekend and the Justice Department’s announcement that it would treat the El Paso shooting as a case of domestic terrorism. “We are treating it as a domestic terrorism case, and we’re going to do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is deliver swift and certain justice,” U.S. Attorney for West Texas John Bash said at a news conference Sunday.