The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a warning about its inability to fully assess the scale of threats arising from domestic violent extremists (DVEs). The agency reported that some of these extremists are eluding law enforcement by using advanced encryption, preventing officials from clearly understanding whether these groups are collaborating.
Following the Capitol riot nearly four years prior, researchers and experts have observed a trend of extremists shifting from mainstream platforms to those offering greater anonymity and less moderation. Katherine Keneally, the US director of threat analysis and prevention at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, noted, “It is a law enforcement intelligence gap, it’s a gap for the whole field. We don’t see everything we once did.”
Whether or not extremists are uniting or if they continue to operate independently, the assessment highlights that online discussions about civil war have already spurred plans for real-world violence.
In January, Justin Mohn, a man from Levittown, Pennsylvania, decapitated his father, a federal employee, and showcased the severed head in an online video. In the segment titled “Mohn’s Militia-Call to Arms for American Patriots,” Mohn encouraged viewers to revolt against the government and pursue federal agents and judges.
Later, in March, Benjamin Brown from Waterville, Maine, was apprehended by federal agents for threatening President Biden and other officials. Brown allegedly claimed he was amassing weapons for a civil war and expressed intentions to harm migrants and destroy Washington. He was charged with making interstate threats.
In May, a routine traffic stop in Pekin, Illinois, uncovered a canvas bag with a .45-caliber pistol and homemade pipe bombs belonging to Dalton Mattus. Further investigation at Mattus’ residence revealed more pipe bombs. Local reports indicated Mattus expressed intentions to use the explosives defensively against “undocumented immigrants and a corrupt government.” Mattus was found to have a significant social media presence, where he had been promoting QAnon conspiracy theories and civil war ideologies, urging violence against federal officials, Democrats, and immigrants.
