Name: FBI investigating Antifa for violent attacks, Director Christopher Wray says
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FBI investigating Antifa for violent attacks, Director Christopher Wray says

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TRENDING:AdvertisementFollow UsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementQuestion of the DayAdvertisementThe is investigating far-left radicals linked to violent attacks around the country, Director told Congress on Thursday.Mr. was asked his views on whether , a leftist radical group that has triggered violent attacks in several U.S. cities, is an organized group.“We consider to be more of a movement,” Mr. said during an appearance before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “There are certainly local and regional nodes, individuals who self-identify with who commit violent attacks, citing that as their motivation. And we have a number of predicated investigations into such individuals.”, he added “is a real thing. It is not a fiction.”Mr. ‘s remarks appeared to step back from earlier comments suggesting the group was less of a threat. Last year, Mr. testified that was viewed by the as more an “ideology than an organization.”“We take anarchist, violent extremism, much of which associates with the movement extremely seriously,” Mr. said later in the hearing, adding that “it is something we investigate very aggressively.”&nbsp;The number of investigations into violence “dramatically increased” over the past three years, Mr. said, without elaborating.&nbsp;“Last year we had more arrests in the anarchist/extremist space than in the past three years combined,” he said.&nbsp;The lack of organization and structure of the group “does not mean that they are any less dangerous, or less threatening,” he said.radicals have been spotted at protests in Minnesota over the recent apparent accidental shooting death of Daunte Wright by now-resigned police officer Kimberly Potter.The shadowy radicals often are dressed in black hoodies and backpacks and in some cases helmets. They often carry shields that have been used in often violent protests.Many of the protests took place last summer following the death of George Floyd in police custody, when Minneapolis was set ablaze by rioters.radicals espouse anti-capitalist, anti-fascist and anti-state views while adhering to a number of left-wing and communist ideologies. The group was especially active in opposing the Trump administration. radicals also used violent protests to oppose conservative speakers on college campuses and elsewhere.Beginning in January, the shifted a large amount of its investigators and investigative resources into probing the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The has made scores of arrests and has resorted to social media to appeal for help from the public in identifying rioters at the Capitol.Critics have charged the has not devoted the same emphasis on investigating , a group that has terrorized several cities with violent attacks on government buildings and in the case of Portland, Oregon, created a police-free “autonomous zone” that sought to carve out a sovereign enclave.Asked by Rep. Mike Turner, Ohio Republican, whether as an organization is engaged in coordinated training, financing, directions and logistics in conducting its attacks, Mr. said: “We have seen individual instances in small regional nodes of people coming together to train in some cases.”, however, has no major national structure, relying instead on local nodes for its operations, Mr. said.Mr. said the is probing into how the movement is financed but declined to provide details.“That’s something we continue to investigate,” he said.Mr. Turner said members have been deployed for protests throughout the United States.“We’ve seen them burning federal buildings, self-professed members claiming to be members of ,” he said.• Bill Gertz can be reached at .Copyright © 2022 The Washington Times, LLC..Click to Read More and View CommentsClick to HideAdvertisement

TRENDING:AdvertisementFollow UsAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementQuestion of the DayAdvertisementThe is investigating far-left radicals linked to violent attacks around the country, Director told Congress on Thursday.Mr. was asked his views on whether , a leftist radical group that has triggered violent attacks in several U.S. cities, is an organized group.“We consider to be more of a movement,” Mr. said during an appearance before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “There are certainly local and regional nodes, individuals who self-identify with who...

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Bill Gertz is a national security correspondent for The Washington Times. He has been with The Times since 1985.  He is the author of eight books, four of them national best-sellers. His latest book, "Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy," reveals details about the growing threat posed by the People's Republic of China. He is also the author of the ebook "How China's Communist Party Made the World Sick."  Mr. Gertz also writes Inside the Ring, a weekly column that chronicles the U.S. national security bureaucracy.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/staff/bill-gertz/

Bill Gertz

Reliable reporting, hard-hitting analysis & breaking news, plus RTs from our writers and reporters. Also at @WashTimesOpEd, @WashTimesLocal, @WashTimesSports

FBI investigating Antifa for violent attacks, Director Christopher Wray says

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