Would-be Warriors : Incidents of Jihadist Terrorist Radicalization in the United States Since September 11, 2001

Between 9/11 and the end of 2009, 46 publicly reported cases of domestic radicalization and recruitment to jihadist terrorism occurred in the United States, 13 of them in 2009. Most of the would be jihadists recruited themselves into the terrorist role, assisting foreign terrorist organizations, joining jihad fronts abroad, and plotting attacks. The terrorist threat has pushed law enforcement toward prevention rather than post-event apprehension. Between September 11, 2001, and the end of 2009, 46 publicly reported cases of domestic radicalization and recruitment to jihadist terrorism occurred in the United States; 13 of those cases occurred in 2009. Most of the would-be jihadists were individuals who recruited themselves into the terrorist role. Some provided assistance to foreign terrorist organizations; some went abroad to join various jihad fronts; some plotted terrorist attacks in the United Sates, usually with little success because of intervention by the authorities. The threat of large-scale terrorist violence has pushed law enforcement toward prevention rather than criminal apprehension after an event -- or, as one senior police official put it, "staying to the left of the boom," which means stopping the explosions or attacks before they occur. This shift toward prevention requires both collecting domestic intelligence -- always a delicate mission in a democracy -- and maintaining community trust and cooperation Preface......Page 4 Contents......Page 6 Summary......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 An Average of Six Cases a Year......Page 14 Who Are These Homegrown Terrorists?......Page 16 What Did They Intend to Do?......Page 19 No Terrorist-Prone Personality......Page 20 The 1970s Saw Greater Terrorist Violence......Page 21 Are We Doing This Right?......Page 22 Recruitment Will Continue......Page 25 A Chronology of the Cases......Page 26 Bibliography......Page 32 Preface 4 Contents 6 Summary 8 Acknowledgments 12 Would-Be Warriors: Incidents of Jihadist Terrorist Radicalization in the United States Since September 11, 2001 14 An Average of Six Cases a Year 14 Who Are These Homegrown Terrorists? 16 What Did They Intend to Do? 19 No Terrorist-Prone Personality 20 The 1970s Saw Greater Terrorist Violence 21 Are We Doing This Right? 22 Recruitment Will Continue 25 A Chronology of the Cases 26 Bibliography 32