Leading into the 20th Anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the DHS/FBI issued a Joint Intelligence Bulletin highlighting the ongoing threat of domestic terrorism. The following is a summary of the cases that occurred over the past 15 months that have them concerned.
March 23 2015, Austin, Texas:
A suspected domestic extremist threw a bottle containing flammable liquid out of a car window into a small group of pro-life protestors gathered outside a reproductive healthcare center. The bottle landed in the grass and the resulting fire self-extinguished.
February 14 2015, Elkins, West Virginia
The FBI arrested a domestic extremist for possession of stolen C-4 explosives after authorities received information that he allegedly planned to detonate it at various locations, including a Federal Courthouse.
February 7, 2015, Chicago, Illinois:
Animal rights extremist(s) are suspected of setting fire to two separate horse carriage storage areas at a horse stable in Chicago, Illinois, causing damage to the building structure and completely destroyed 13 carriages. Losses were estimated at over $130,000. The building was occupied by two people and four horses at the time of the arson.
December 30 2014, Dothan, Alabama:
Local police shot and killed Sovereign Citizen Extremist (SCE) Robert Earl Lawrence, whose apparent ideologically driven conduct at a business led to a physical altercation with law enforcement officers.
November 28, 2014, Austin, Texas:
Larry Steven McQuilliams engaged in a late-night shooting spree that targeted a Federal Court House, a bank, the Consulate General of Mexico, and the Austin, Texas Police Department (APD) headquarters building, where he was shot and killed by an APD officer. The subject also attempted to set fire to camp-style gas cylinders at the Mexican Consulate. McQuilliams’ criminal acts may have been in furtherance of ideologies associated with white supremacist extremism.
November 7, 2014, St. Louis, Missouri:
The FBI disrupted alleged plots by two domestic extremists, one of whom also claimed to be a Moorish sovereign citizen, to kill the Ferguson, Missouri police chief and a St. Louis County Prosecutor, and to conduct an explosives attack against the Gateway Arch.
October 23, 2014, New York, New York:
Domestic extremist Zale H. Thompson attacked four white New York City police officers with a hatchet, striking one officer in the forearm and another in the head. Thompson was shot and killed by officers during the attack.Thompson may have been motivated by multiple ideologies, one of the most prevalent of which was black separatist extremism.
September 25, 2014, Moore, Oklahoma:
A suspected domestic extremist attacked co-workers with a knife, killing and beheading one individual and injuring a second person.
September 23, 2014, Snohomish, Washington:
Suspected environmental extremists attempted to topple a tower carrying power lines. Graffiti at the scene included the anarchist “A” symbol and the moniker “ELF” (a likely reference to the Earth Liberation Front). The tower was significantly damaged by the attempt but did not fall. If it had fallen, it likely would have landed on a busy highway and power for an estimated 1 million customers would have been disrupted for approximately three days. Repair costs are estimated between $100,000 and $1 million. The case is still unresolved.
September 12, 2014, Blooming Grove, Pennsylvania:
A suspected domestic extremist ambushed and shot two state troopers, killing one trooper, as they exited the Pennsylvania State Police Blooming Grove Barracks.
June 14, 2014, Nevada County, California:
A SCE exchanged gunfire with a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ranger and California Highway Patrol Officer, likely in response to their attempt to impound a stolen motorcycle from an illegal campsite on BLM-administered land. All three individuals were injured during the incident.
June 8, 2014, Las Vegas, Nevada:
Domestic extremists Jerad and Amanda Miller shot and killed two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers at a restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada. The assailants subsequently entered a nearby retail store where they shot and killed a third person. One assailant was killed in an exchange of gunfire with Las Vegas police, the other died from suicide after sustaining gunshot wounds.
April 13, 2014, Overland Park, Kansas:
A white supremacist extremist allegedly shot and killed two individuals outside a Jewish community center and a third person at a Jewish retirement center.
April 12 2014, Bunkerville, Nevada:
Dozens of militia extremists converged on a Nevada ranch to prevent BLM from executing a court order to seize cattle in a dispute over unpaid grazing fees. These militia extremists joined non-violent militia groups—and individuals from across the country—who reacted to reports about altercations between BLM personnel and the rancher’s family and supporters that alleged unnecessary excess on the part of the US Government. Domestic extremist efforts culminated in an armed standoff and the ultimate suspension of the BLM operation due to militia extremist threats.
March 27, 2014, Katy, Texas:
An FBI JTTF disrupted a militia extremist plot to attack mosques and public buildings and inflict multiple casualties in an attempt to restore America to a “pre-Constitutional” status. One individual, who hoped to purchase weapons and ammunition with funds generated from bank robberies, was arrested while en route to rob an armored car.
March 25, 2014, Middleburg Heights, Ohio:
Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed SCE Israel Rondon at his home after he brandished a .22 caliber rifle, likely in an attempt to avoid arrest during the execution of a warrant for a probation violation.
March 22, 2014, Seattle, Washington:
Suspected animal rights extremist(s) stole confidential information belonging to a biomedical research firm and provided the information to animal rights organizations, news media, and potential company clients. The theft and unauthorized data release occurred during a time when the company was developing new contracts, resulting in estimated losses exceeding $1 million. The case remains unsolved.
February 15, 2014, Rome, Georgia:
Federal, state, and local authorities arrested three militia extremists who attempted to illegally purchase explosives to attack critical infrastructure supporting various federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including DHS and its component agencies. According to open source information, the group reportedly hoped the effort would lead other domestic extremist groups to conduct similar attacks, culminating in revolution.
