Ex-FBI Agent on Homegrown Terror Threats and Cyberattacks

Homegrown Terror Threats

• 💡 Tracy Walder suggests that the threat of sleeper cells is not about individuals coming from overseas, but rather homegrown terrorists already within the U.S.
• 🎯 These individuals may not require a signal to act, leading to lone wolf-style attacks rather than large-scale, coordinated assaults.
• ⚠️ Walder dislikes the term "sleeper cells," preferring to call them terrorists, including domestic terrorists, to avoid a "zombie-like" connotation.

Cyberattacks and Infrastructure Vulnerability

• ⚡ James Gagliano agrees with Walder, highlighting that cyberattacks are a significant 21st-century threat that don't require physical presence in the U.S.
• 🔌 These attacks can cripple critical infrastructure, including water systems, the electric grid, and radar jamming.
• 💻 Gagliano notes that while terrorist organizations do embed people, the more prevalent threat is from inspired individuals rather than directly directed operatives.

Radicalization and Online Influence

• 🧠 Both experts agree that online radicalization is a core issue, with individuals like Luigi Manion being radicalized via computer.
• 🌐 Iran, for example, uses psychological operations online to win over disaffected individuals in the U.S., influencing them without explicitly mentioning Islamism.
• ⚠️ There's a concern that not enough is being done to stop both attacks against critical infrastructure and the radicalization events occurring online.