U.S. MAY 16, 2018 / 6:09 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

U.S. has more than 2,000 probes into potential or suspected terrorists: FBI Director

Mark Hosenball
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is pursuing 1,000 investigations into suspected “lone wolf” militants and another 1,000 into “domestic terrorists,” FBI director Christopher Wray told a congressional committee on Wednesday.

At a Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee hearing, Wray said lone wolf terrorists - whom another law enforcement official described as individuals often radicalized over the internet or other social media - are the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “highest counterterrorism priority at the moment.”

Wray said the FBI has about 1,000 investigations into suspected lone wolves in all 50 states, “and that’s not even counting the al-Qaeda investigations, the traditional ISIS investigations, the domestic terrorism investigations ...”

“And what makes it so hard is that there are not many dots to connect with some of these people,” he said. “They pick soft targets, they use easy-to-use weapons; you know, IEDs (improvised explosive devices), cars, knives, guns.”

Wray said the FBI is “trying to get better at looking for red flags” that could signal when people becoming radicalized might start to consider taking action.

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