Homeland Security

Homeland Security Dept. Warns of Domestic Terror Threats to LGBTQ, Jewish and Migrant Communities

Americans motivated by violent ideologies pose a “persistent and lethal threat,” a senior DHS official told reporters

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In a terrorism advisory bulletin, the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday raised concerns about potential threats to the LGBTQ, Jewish and migrant communities from violent extremists inside the United States.

Americans motivated by violent ideologies pose a “persistent and lethal threat,” a senior DHS official told reporters in a briefing on the bulletin.

Intelligence officials across the federal government have consistently highlighted the growing threat of American extremists in recent years, while explaining that foreign threats such as the Islamic State terrorist group and Al Qaeda are no longer as persistent as they once were.

Congregants at a Pueblo, Colorado, synagogue targeted in a white supremacist's bomb plot say they won't be intimidated by the threat. "We're not victims, and we won't be victims and we're going to defend ourselves," says Temple Emanuel president Michael Atlas-Acuna. Richard Holzer, 27, was arrested Friday after he admitted to federal investigators – who were posing as co-conspirators – that he was planning to blow up the synagogue using pipe bombs and dynamite.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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