[ONLINE] - Extremism and Domestic Terrorism in the Wake of the Capitol Siege

On January 6, a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol in a riot that resulted in at least five deaths. The U.S. has already charged multiple people with crimes ranging from illegal entry to in one case possessing 11 Molotov cocktails. Two pipe bombs were found elsewhere in D.C., and the hunt for the person who placed them is still on. Online activity, statements by rioters, and handcuffs and other materials carried by some rioters suggest that some may have intended to take Congressional representatives hostage or kill them. The crisis follows earlier armed protests and a terrorist plot in Michigan earlier this year and is part of a larger resurgence of far-right wing terrorism and extremism. What happened at the Capitol? How can the government respond to such threats? How does it fit in with the broader effort against domestic terrorism? And what should we expect next?

To discuss these issues, New America welcomes Javed Ali, a fellow with New America’s International Security program and former senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council; Janet Reitman, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, author of the 2018 New York Times Magazine cover story "U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism” and of the 2011 book Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion, and an investigative journalist currently covering American extremist movements and national security; and Arif Alikhan, president of Taclogix Inc., an integration service for police, fire, and public safety agencies, former Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at the Department of Homeland Security, and former Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety for the City of Los Angeles.

Join the conversation online using #ExtremismAftertheSiege and following @NewAmericaISP.

PARTICIPANTS

Javed Ali
Fellow, New America International Security Program
Policymaker in Residence at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
Former Senior Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council

Arif Alikhan
President, Taclogix, Inc.
Former Assistant Secretary for Policy Development, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Former Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety, City of Los Angeles
Former Director of Constitutional Policing and Policy, Los Angeles Police Department

Janet Reitman, @janetreitman
Contributing Writer, New York Times Magazine
Author, Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secret Religion

MODERATOR

David Sterman, @DSterms
Senior Policy Analyst, New America