UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE 29 May 2020 (U) Counterterrorism Mission Center (U//FOUO) Domestic Terrorists Could Exploit Ongoing Unrest to Engage in Violence Against Law Enforcement and Others Engaging in Protected Activities (U//FOUO) Scope. This Intelligence Note (IN) provides information regarding recent incidents of targeted violence at protests related to recent officer-involved deaths of African-Americans and highlights the concern for additional violence from domestic terrorist actors. The information in this IN is current as of 29 May 2020. (U//FOUO) Prepared by the DHS Intelligence Enterprise (DHS IE) Counterterrorism Mission Center (CTMC). (U//FOUO) Ongoing unrest related to an in-custody death of an individual in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and fatal officer-involved shooting of a woman in her home in Louisville, Kentucky, could motivate some domestic terrorist actors to engage in violence against law enforcement and others protesting lawfully. We have limited reporting of domestic terrorist activity related to the ongoing unrest, but previous incidents of domestic terrorists exploiting First Amendment-protected events highlight the range of our concern for additional violence. » (U//LES) Suspected anarchist extremists and militia extremists allegedly planned to storm and burn the Minnesota State Capitol on 29 May 2019, according to FBI information. 1 Separately, on 27 May, a white supremacist extremist Telegram channel incited followers to engage in violence and start the “boogaloo”—a term used by some violent extremists to refer to the start of a second Civil War—by shooting in a crowd, according to DHS reporting. 2 » (U//FOUO) On 12 August 2017, a white supremacist extremist drove a vehicle into a crowd of counter-protestors at Charlottesville, Virginia rally, killing one. 3 Other white supremacist extremists allegedly engaged in less than lethal violence against counter protestors at this and other rallies in 2017, according to the criminal complaint. 4 » (U) On 7July 2016, a black supremacist extremist acting in response to officer-involved shootings ambushed law enforcement officers, killing five, during a planned non-violent First Amendment-protected rally in Dallas, Texas. Police engaged and killed the attacker during a stand-off following the ambush. 5 » (U//FOUO) Anarchist extremist activity on several occasions between 2015 and 2019 has involved the use of less than lethal violence that is dangerous to human life or the commission of property damage to critical infrastructure at otherwise First Amendment-protected events to target law enforcement, individuals with opposing ideologies, and other individuals or institutions perceived as oppressive. 6,7 (U//FOUO) As of publication of this IN, press reporting has indicated several incidents of violence at otherwise lawful protests that posed a threat to public safety and critical infrastructure, though we do not have sufficient information to determine whether these incidents would rise to the level of domestic terrorism. IA-44614-20 (U) LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE: The information marked (U//LES) in this document is the property of FBI and may be distributed within the Federal Government (and its contractors), US intelligence, law enforcement, public safety or protection officials, and individuals with a need to know. Distribution beyond these entities without FBI authorization is prohibited. Precautions should be taken to ensure this information is stored and/or destroyed in a manner that precludes unauthorized access. Information bearing the LES caveat may not be used in legal proceedings without first receiving authorization from the originating agency. Recipients are prohibited from subsequently posting the information marked LES on a website on an unclassified network (U) Warning: This document contains UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (U//FOUO) information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552). It is to be controlled, stored, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with DHS policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public, the media, or other personnel who do not have a valid need to know without prior approval of an authorized DHS official. State and local homeland security officials may not share this document with critical infrastructure and key resource personnel or private sector security officials without further approval from DHS. (U) All US person information has been minimized. Should you require US person information on weekends or after normal weekday hours during exigent and time sensitive circumstances, contact the Current and Emerging Threat Watch Office at 202-447-3688, CETC.OSCO@HQ.DHS.GOV. For all other inquiries, please contact the Homeland Security Single Point of Service, Request for Information Office at DHS-SPS-RFI@hq.dhs.gov, DHS-SPS-RFI@dhs.sgov.gov, DHS-SPS-RFI@dhs.ic.gov UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE » (U) On 28 May 2020, at least seven people were shot during a protest in Louisville, Kentucky. Also on 28 May, shots were fired amidst a lawful protest in Denver, Colorado, and an individual drove a car through a crowd of protesters. We have no information regarding the suspects or the motivation behind these incidents. (U//FOUO) Domestic Terrorism Definitions (U//FOUO) DHS defines domestic terrorism as any act of unlawful violence that is dangerous to human life or potentially destructive of critical infrastructure or key resources committed by a group or individual based and operating entirely within the United States or its territories without direction or inspiration from a foreign terrorist group. This act is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state or other subdivision of the United States and appears to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion, or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping. A domestic terrorist differs from a homegrown violent extremist in that the former is not inspired by and does not take direction from a foreign terrorist group or other foreign power. (U//FOUO) DHS defines white supremacist extremists as groups or individuals who facilitate or engage in acts of unlawful violence directed at the federal government, ethnic minorities, or Jewish persons in support of their belief that Caucasians are intellectually and morally superior to other races and their perception that the government is controlled by Jewish persons. (U//FOUO) DHS defines militia extremists as groups or individuals who facilitate or engage in acts of unlawful violence directed at federal, state, or local government officials or infrastructure in response to their belief that the government deliberately is stripping Americans of their freedoms and is attempting to establish a totalitarian regime. These individuals consequently oppose many federal and state authorities’ laws and regulations, (particularly those related to firearms ownership), and often belong to armed paramilitary groups. They often conduct paramilitary training designed to violently resist perceived government oppression or to violently overthrow the US Government. (U//FOUO) DHS defines black supremacist extremists as groups or individuals who facilitate or engage in acts of unlawful violence as a means to oppose racial integration and/or to eliminate non-black people and Jewish people. (U//FOUO) DHS defines anarchist extremists as groups or individuals who facilitate or engage in acts of unlawful violence as a means of changing the government and society in support of the belief that all forms of capitalism and corporate globalization should be opposed and that governing institutions are unnecessary and harmful to society. (U) Report Suspicious Activity (U) To report suspicious activity, law enforcement, Fire-EMS, private security personnel, and emergency managers should follow established protocols; all other personnel should call 911 or contact local law enforcement. Suspicious activity reports (SARs) will be forwarded to the appropriate fusion center and FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force for further action. For more information on the Nationwide SAR Initiative, visit http://nsi.ncirc.gov/resources.aspx. (U) Tracked by: HSEC-8.1, HSEC-8.5, HSEC-8.6, HSEC-8.8, HSEC-8.10 UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE Page 2 of 3 UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE (U) Source Summary Statement (U//LES) This IN is based on FBI information, DHS open source reporting, publicly available court documents and government press releases, and press reporting. We have medium confidence in the information obtained from FBI, DHS, and press reporting given the evolving nature of these events. We have high confidence in the information obtained from court documents and government press releases, as this information results from law enforcement investigations. (U//LES); FBI; SIR-00444073194; “(U//LES) Gathering at Hennepin County Government Center a Cover for Anarchist Extremists and Militia Extremists to Take Over and Burn the Minnesota State Capitol Building in St. Paul, Minnesota, as of 29 May 2020; DOI: 29 May 2020; Release Date: 29 May 2020; Overall source information is U//LES; Extracted information is U//LES. 2 (U//FOUO); DHS, OSIR-04001-0654-20; 27 MAY 2020; (U//FOUO); Extremist encrypted instant messaging channel incites violence in Minneapolis and encourages others to 'frame the crowd around you'; Extracted information is U//FOUO; Overall document classification is U//FOUO. 3 (U); DOJ; “Ohio Man Pleads Guilty To 29 Federal Hate Crimes For August 2017 Car Attack at Rally In Charlottesville”; 27 MAR 2019; https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/ohio-man-pleads-guilty-29-federal-hate-crimes-august-2017-car-attack-rally; accessed on 29 MAY 2020; (U); Government Press Release. 4 (U); Criminal Complaint, United States District Court for the Central District of California, United States of America v Robert Rundo, Robert Boman, Tyler Laube, and Aaron Eason, Case No. 18MJ02791, 20 October 2018 5 (U); NBC 5 DFW; “Sniper Ambush Kills 5 Officers, Injures 7 in Dallas Following Peaceful Protest”; 15 AUG 2017; https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/protests-in-dallas-over-alton-sterling-death/88950/; accessed on 28 FEB 2020; (U); Online News Source. 6 (U); Steve Almasy and Dakin Andone; CNN; 30 JUN 2019; “Three arrested and eight injured as Portland protests turn violent”; https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/us/portland-protest-arrests/index.html; accessed on 29 MAY 2020; (U); (U); Online News Source. 7 (U); Michael Bodley; San Francisco Chronicle; 2 FEB 2017; “At Berkeley Yiannopoulos protest, $100,000 in damage, 1 arrest”; https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/At-Berkeley-Yiannopoulos-protest-100-000-in-10905217.php; accessed on 29 MAY 2020; (U); Online News Source. 1 UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE Page 3 of 3 CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Office of Intelligence and Analysis Customer Feedback Form Product Title: (U//FOUO) Domestic Terrorists Could Exploit Ongoing Unrest to Engage in Violence Against Law Enforcement and All survey responses are completely anonymous. 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